Rescuing Lulu from Elturel

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 Rescuing Lulu from Elturel seamlessly connects your Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign to
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus and beyond. Alternatively, it transforms Elturel into an historically
researched 25-location sandbox for any campaign traversing the Sword Coast, or can be used as a
supplement to be added to either Descent to Avernus or Tyranny of Dragons.

A 3-5 Session Adventure for 4th Level Characters

Credits
Author & Layout: Hunter Stardust
Cartographer: Meshon “Elturel’s Mapmaker” Cantrill
Cover Illustrator: Tony Tam-Sing / anthony.tamsing @ gmail.com / www.visualmenace.com
Co-Editors: Hunter Stardust & Scott Weiland
Playtesters: The QUAIL LODGE: Finn Tiburon, Andor Windraven, Meriele Moonwhisper, Elasha Valjor, Dasciana, Finnia Brushgather
Layout Sources: Template By :Zeek0 & Akshat Bhatnagar; Fonts by /u/Solbera; general layout credit to /r/UnearthedArcana
Artists: Dana Braga (@danaxbraga www.danabraga.com); [Pixabay: Darkmoon_Art, Brend/Momentmal, Twilightzone, Scott Webb,
xusenru, PMarinas, Scarlet_Letter, D_Poltoradnev, Tama66, Sammay-Sander, Seaq68, John_Nature_Photos, MostafaElTurkey36,
analogicus, Mejabel Creaciones, Johnnairis]

About the Author: Hunter Stardust is a Political History, Philosophy and Social Justice Professor in the Rocky Mountain region, as well as
an avid rock climber and mountaineer. After a decade of publishing academic scholarship, including his upcoming second book
The Politics of Domestic Mass Murder, Hunter has begun to transition into crafting historically researched D&D adventures
that honor the stories of our past by linking popular campaigns together in innovative and magical ways.

Content Warnings: This adventure includes situations involving abduction, potential violent situations and blood, sex-positive philosophy,
adult flirtation and sexuality, nonbinary characters and grammar, references to intoxicants, characters lacking ethics, mild cursing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all
other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.
This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2022 by Hunter Stardust and Hunter Stardust LLC, authored and published under the
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

1
 Table of Contents
Credits
Table of Contents
Introduction
Background……...…………………………......3
Overview…..….……………….…………….....3
Eyes of Golor…..……….……………….…......5
Prelude: Who Abducted Lulu?............................5
Chapter 1: Journey to Elturel 6
By Land…....…..……….…………………………...5
By Sea………..…………….………………...……..5
Chapter 2: Exploring Elturel
Exploring Elturel Timeline……….………………...9
Elturel on High Alert!.............……… ……………10
Cult of Zariel……...…...…………………………..10
Order of Elturel………….…………………….......11
Map 1: Elturel Before the Fall………....…………12
Locations in Elturel
E1. The West Gate….....…………………………..13
E2. Phontyr’s Unicorn.…..….……………………..13
Unicorns Magical Hideaways.….….……..14
E3. Grand Cemetery.…..…………………………..13
E4. West Docks.…....….…………………………..17
E5. Redeye Coaster.….......………………………..17
E6. Tower of Bèr Nölmein.…..…..………………..17
E7. Owlbear Butcher Shop..….…..………………..18
Map 2: Owlbear Butcher Shop.….…....…..18
E8. Helm’s Shieldhall……….………………...…..19
Map 3: Helm’s Shieldhall…….........……..20
E9. Maiden’s Bridge……..….………………...…..22
E10. Maiden’s Leap……. …..………………...…..22
E11. Hellriders Keep……....…..…………………..23
Reya’s Letter……..…….…..……………..24
E12. Symbril’s House ……..…..……………...…..25
Amrik Vanthampur……......….…………..26
E13. The Gardens…….....…..……………………..26
North Gardens…….....……………………26
Central Gardens………...…………………26
South Gardens…….....……………………27
E14. High Hall…………..…..……………………..27
E15. Western Switchbacks……….....……………..30
E16. Old Harvest Home…….....…………………..31
E17. Torm’s Bridges……....…..…………………..32
E18. A Pair of Black Antlers……….……………..32
Map 4: A Pair of Black Antlers……....…..33
E20. Keep of the Twin Suns…...….....…..………..37
E20. East Docks...………………........…..………..37
North Pier………......……………………..37
2
Central Pier……. …......………………….38
South Pier………......……………………..38
E21. Hunt Quivery………..……........…..………...39
1 E22. Shiarra’s Market…………………....………..39
2 Pebblechuck Bakers……...….……………39
Whilhemina’s Flying Apparatuses……..…39
3 Ragron Blacksmithing.……..…..…………40
E23. Dragoneye Docks.……..…………....………..40
E22. Dragoneye Dock House.…………....………..40
Map 5: Dragoneye Dock House,,…………41
E25. Dragoneye Coaster….………………………..42
Chapter 3:
Bad Day for a White Wedding 43
Scouting from the Ground...……………………….44
Scouting from On High...….………………………45
9 Heisting the Wedding…….……….……………….46
The Furrowbrow Wedding.............………………..46
Map 6: Maiden’s Leap…….……………...47
L1. Edge of the Waterfalls……..……..…..48
L4. The Tree Groves…………...……..…..48
L5. Garden Streets……………...……..…..48
E9. Maiden’s Bridge…….……..……..…..48
L2. On Stage–Wedding Ceremony…....….48
13 L2. Under the Stage……..……...……..…..49
Map 7: Under the Stage………….………..50
Battle at the Portal to Avernus!...……..…..51
L3. In the Crowd………………………….52
Battling Sprunyte…………………………54
Wedding Aftermath……………………….55
Epilogue: Leaving Elturel 56
Return to Waterdeep..…….………….……………56
Return to Baldur’s Gate…….……………………..57
Tyranny of Dragons……..……….…...…………...57
The Descent to Waterdeep Series…………..……....58
Appendices 59
Appendix I: Clues by Location………..…….…….59
Appendix II: Zarielite Stronghold Clues…………..60
Appendix III: Rescuing Lulu Miniatures …………61
Appendix IV: Monsters & NPCs………………….62
Maps
Map 1: Elturel Before the Fall…………………….12
Map 2: Owlbear Butcher Shop………...………….18
Map 3: Helm’s Shieldhall……….……..……...…..20
Map 4: A Pair of Black Antlers………..………….33
Map 5: Dragoneye Dockhouse………...………….41
Map 6: Maiden’s Leap…….…………..………......47
Map 7: Under the Stage………………..………….50
Introduction
Rescuing Lulu from Elturel is designed for four-to-seven
4th-level characters, and creates a seamless way to connect
your Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (WDH) campaign to
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus (DIA) and beyond.

There are three other options for running this adventure:

Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

This adventure can be added to DIA as a means to increase
the player’s connection to Elturel and its NPCs so that they
care about the city and its citizens when it falls into
Avernus. To do this, incorporate the “Rescue Lulu from
Blue Alley” section below into “Chapter 1: A Tale of Two
Cities,” and have Lulu abducted prior to Vanthampur
Villa. Blue Alley will now, obviously, be in Baldur’s Gate.

Tyranny of Dragons
After completing “Chapter 3: Dragon Hatchery,” Governor
Nighthill informs the PCs the Cult of the Dragon (which
replaces the Cult of Zariel in this adventure) has abducted
Leosin Erlanthar and plan to sacrifice him at a dragon
mask ceremony in Elturel. Nighthill provides them horses
and begs them to race to meet Ontharr Frume in Elturel.
Visiting Elturel in any Campaign
This adventure transforms the Elturel into a DM sandbox
with twenty-five fully-developed historical locations, and
is thus a great resource for any campaign visiting Elturel as
they traverse the Sword Coast. The character “Lulu” can
easily be substituted for any abducted friend of the PCs,
and the cult of Zariel can be any group of bad guys. The
adventure begins with “Chapter 2: Exploring Elturel.”
Background
Rescuing Lulu From Elturel takes place after either the
raid on the Gralhund Villa (WDH, 50-56), or after the PCs
have captured no more than one of the Eyes of Golor as a
result of having heisted their first villains lair if you are
running the Alexandrian Remix of Waterdeep: Dragon
Heist (ARW, 4A-4E).
When the PCs return to Trollskull Tavern after either of
these missions, they discover that their beloved friend Lulu
has been abducted! In the midst of their confusion and
sadness, their acquaintance, Reya Mantlemorn, bursts
through the door with information that Lulu’s abductors
are rushing south to Elturel to use her as a sacrifice in a
fiendish cult ritual. If there is any chance of saving Lulu,
the PCs must make plans to journey, posthaste, towards
Elturel!
Two simple additions need to be made to the first three
chapters of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist to incorporate
Rescuing Lulu from Elturel into your campaign. These
simple additions will establish a clear reason for the party
to leave for Elturel, and will later create a smooth
transition to Baldur’s Gate: Descent to Avernus.
Rescue Lulu from Blue Alley
One simple alteration of perhaps the greatest Waterdeep
one-shot of all time, the classic Blue Alley (BA),
seamlessly incorporates Lulu into the PCs lives in WDH in
a powerful way: replace the statue of a Celestine Unicorn
with a statue of a Golden Hollyphant (BA, 11; Room 25).
When the PCs leave Room 25 with the statue, they are
startled when it comes to life and introduces itself as
“Lulu,” but has no memory of how she got there or that
she was previously a statue. It is vital that the DM roleplay
the confused Lulu as a deeply loveable and cute as a button
NPC to ensure that the PCs quickly form strong bonds
with Lulu and decide not to give her to Mirt the
Moneylender after escaping Blue Alley. The
repercussions of possibly alienating Mirt early on (BA, 13)
is a great way to establish the complex socio-political
terrain of the City of Splendors. A tenday or two later,
Lulu will recall her first memory of the past (DIA, 51), the
timing of which is at the DM’s discretion.
Lulu’s incorporation into WDH in Blue Alley also
provides strong historical continuity for transitioning to
Decent into Avernus. Long ago the powerful wizard
Keilier was deep in concentration on an interplanar spell
in an effort to find an adequate prize for his masterpiece
dungeon, Blue Alley (BA, 2). At that same moment, Lulu
was pouring all her celestial energy into protecting Zariel’s
sword with her friend Yael from the fast approaching
Yeenoghu (DIA, 51). The incredible energy signatures of
Keilier’s search and Lulu’s efforts crossed rays (re:
Ghostbusters), and the result was both Keilier’s
disappearance from the Material Plane, and the
transportation and solidification of Lulu into a statue that
materialized as the penultimate prize of Blue Alley.

3

Reya Mantlemorn in Waterdeep
The easiest way to introduce Reya into WDH is to have her
at the bar and strike up a conversation on the PCs first visit
to the Yawning Portal. Reya Mantlemorn (DIA, 31)
informs them that she is from Elturel and is in Waterdeep
seeking answers to the recent murder of two Hellriders in
Elturel. The PCs should cross paths with Reya 2-3 times
prior to the start of Rescuing Lulu.
Rescuing Lulu from Elturel will deepen the PC’s
connections to the city and many of the residents who will
survive the fall of Elturel into Avernus. The PC’s arrival
auspiciously overlaps with the first (and previously
unknown) diplomatic visit of Grand Duke Ulder
Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate at the invitation of Elturel’s
High Observer, Thavius Kreeg. The adventure develops
twenty-five historical locations in Elturel for the PCs to
explore while searching for clues in a race to rescue Lulu
before it’s too late!
Historical Sources
The abbreviated following D&D books, Dungeon Masters
Guild Community Content publications and published
remixes were used for the historical research and
inspiration for this adventure. It is suggested that the DM
be familiar with the Primary Sources.
4
Primary Sources
WDH: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Christopher Perkins et. al.
DIA: Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, Adam Lee et. al.
ARW: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist—The Alexandrian
Remix, Justin Alexander
ARA: Baldur’s Gate: Descent to Avernus—The
Alexandrian Remix, Justin Alexander
HT: Hellturel, James Introcaso (DMs Guild)
BA: Blue Alley, M.T. Black & Alan Patrick (DMs Guild)
HK: The Hellrider’s Keep, Carter VanHuss (DMs Guild)
GS: Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Mike Mearls, Kate Welsch et. al.
Supplemental Sources
VSC: Volo’s Guide to the Sword Coast, Ed Greenwood
TOD: Tyranny of Dragons, Steve Winter et. al.
DMG: Dungeon Master’s Guide, Mike Merals et. al.
PHB: Players Handbook, Mike Merals et. al.
STK: Storm Kings Thunder, Christopher Perkins et. al.
Overview
The adventure takes place across four chapters that,
depending on the PCs desire to explore and roleplay, will
last from three to five 3-4 hour sessions at the table,
dependent on the party’s engagement while Elturel.
Prelude: Who Abducted Lulu?
The DM chooses one of three possible villains to abduct
Lulu and transport her to Elturel to be used as a sacrifice
by the cult of Zariel to hasten the fall of Elturel.
Chapter I: Journey to Elturel
The party gains assistance from two unlikely allies on their
journey to and from Elturel—one of which occurs by land,
the other by sea. Each leg of travel to and from Waterdeep
can be completed in half a 3-4 hour session.
Chapter II: Exploring Elturel
The adventurers arrive in Elturel and explore the city, meet
important NPCs, and gather clues to find Lulu that all lead
toward the Furrowbrow’s wedding. As a sandbox of the
entire city, this chapter can take anywhere from two to
many, many 3-4 hour sessions—it all depends on how
much your party loves roleplaying in Elturel!
Chapter III:
Bad Day for a White Wedding
The adventurers and Elturian NPCs scout out and then
crash a wedding that quickly descends into madness with
Lulu’s life on the line. This final encounter will take half
to a full 3-4 hour session.
Epilogue:
Preparing for Avernus is the Beginning
As the adventure concludes, the Epilogue offers smooth
transitions into WDH, DIA, TOD. It also sets up the next
chapter of this series, Avernus is the Beginning, before
offering a preview of the future releases in the Descent
from Waterdeep Series!

Eyes of Golor (optional)
In preparing to run WDH, many DMs notice that there are
four great villain’s lairs (which comprise nearly half the
book) that might never be used in the campaign!?! While
there are any number of ways to alter the adventure to
incorporate these liars in a meaningful way, Justin
Alexander’s Waterdeep: Dragon Heist—The Alexandrian
Remix (ARW) offers a compellingly simple way of doing
so: the Stone of Golor does not currently work because all
three of its eyes have been removed and are currently in
the possession of three of the four villains.
This simple but powerful alteration of WDH creates a
“Grand Game” structure that requires the PCs to engage in
a series of actual heist missions into the villain’s lairs to
acquire all three Eyes to activate the Stone of Golor and
locate Lord Nevermember’s hidden stash of half a million
gold dragons (ARW, Part 1).
Rescuing Lulu philosophically incorporates The
Alexandrian Remix’s search for the Eyes of Golor as a
means of unlocking the greater potential of WDH, but does
so in a minimalist way that enables the DM running
Rescuing Lulu to be able to freely choose to stick with the
original adventure presented in WDH, adopt The
Alexandrian Remix’s “Grand Game” scheme, or to create
your own homebrew alterations to the campaign.
Important NPCs
To assist the DM to deepening the players connections to
NPCs they will encounter later in the long campaign, this
adventure uses the following formatting for the name of
recurring NPCs: The proper names of recurring NPC’s
from other adventures are bolded, followed, in parenthesis
by these four pieces of character information:
● Abbreviated alignment
● Gender
● NPC’s classes/types bolded
● Page numbers & abbreviated name of original
source material
Example: Fel’rekt Lafeen, (LN male, drow gunslinger;
WDH, 201).
Narrating the Adventure
Green text boxes denote descriptive text to be read
aloud to the PCs during the adventure.
Tan text boxes denote NPC monologues to be read
aloud to the PCs during the adventure.
Prelude: Who Abducted Lulu?
In order to allow the DM flexibility to smoothly
incorporate Rescuing Lulu into your campaign, there are
three possible answers to the question: Who abducted
Lulu? Please pick the option that best suits your campaign
when it is time for the PCs to head southeast to Elturel.
Manshoon
Outsmarted at the Gralhund Villa and/or angered over the
invasion of his Kolat Towers, Manshoon sends a
Zhentarim Response Team to the Trollskull Tavern while
the PCs are away, or in the process of invading his
sanctum, to abduct Lulu. For Manshoon, capturing Lulu
serves two purposes: getting revenge for the PC’s brazen
interference, but more importantly, an offer from the cult
of Zariel in Elturel to trade Lulu in exchange for details of
the lair of his Waterdeep nemesis, the Xanathar!
Xanathar
Pure insanity and a healthy dose of paranoia has driven the
Xanathar into a rage that the PCs had the audacity to enter
his Guild’s sewer networks and/or invade his lair, and this
leads to him dispatch a Xanathar Guild Response Team to
abduct Lulu from Trollskull. The information that the PCs
have come into possession of a hollyphant coupled with an
the offer from the cult of Zariel in Elturel to exchange the
rare creature for an even rarer flail snail has Xanathar
foaming at the mouth for a chance to pit it against 1d4 of
his captives (WDH, 107) in his next gladiatorial
tournament (WDH, 114; ARW, 4D).
The Vanthampur’s
Thalamra Vanthampur’s network of spies gathered intel
that Lulu was spotted in Waterdeep in the Trollskull
Tavern. She rapidly dispatches a group of Zarielites to
steal Lulu and sacrifice her in a ritual during the first visit
of Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard to Elturel. Thalamra’s
goal is to hasten the fall of Elturel and deliver the soul of
the much sought after hollyphant to Zariel. This option
works best for DMs incorporating Rescuing Lulu directly
into Baldur’s Gate: Descent to Avernus.
Regardless of who you chose to abduct Lulu, it occurs
when the PCs are gone from Trollskull Tavern, and there is
no chance that they intercept the abductors. Let the race to
save Lulu from a ritual sacrifice begin!
5
 Chapter 1: Journey to Elturel
Rescuing Lulu will require two treks to Elturel and back—one of which will go by land,
and another which will go by sea—with the help of two very unlikely allies: The Cassalanters and Jarlaxle Baenre!
It is at the DM’s discretion which order the PCs travel to, and return from, Elturel.
The Cassalanters
Despite Zariel’s allegiance to Asmodeus, the Cassalanters
hold a deep disdain for Thalamra Vanthampur ever since
she joked about the condition of their son Osvaldo at a cult
gathering a few years back. Knowing that Thalamra plans
to sacrifice Lulu to hasten Elturel’s fall, the Cassalanter’s
want nothing more than to sabotage the Vanthampur’s
plans. Brantor Stonefingers, a servant of the Cassalanters,
arrives at Trollskull and shares that his masters heard about
Lulu’s abduction too late, but offers to guide them south to
Elturel. If the PCs go to Elturel by sea, (see below),
Brantor arrives at the end of their time in Elturel and offers
to guide them back to Waterdeep.
Jarlaxel Baenre
The PCs meeting Zardoz Zord’s during the nimblewright
search is vital for running Rescuing Lulu (DH, 48-49). This
encounter tips Jarlaxel off to the PC’s involvement in
affairs he is monitoring (and possibly even about the
“Grand Game” (ARW, 5C)). Either way, his drow
gunslingers begin monitoring the PCs and Trollskull
Tavern from this point forward. After the abduction of
Lulu, Zardoz seeks to ingratiate himself to the PCs (and
gain information to hopefully gain the upper hand in
Waterdeep politics) by offering them the aptly named
Hellraiser to take them swiftly down to Elturel by sea and
river. If the PCs go to Elturel by land (see above), one of
Jarlaxel’s drow gunslingers intercepts the PCs at the
6
conclusion of their time in Elturel and offers to take them
back to Waterdeep by sea on the Hellraiser.
By Land
The trip to Elturel by land takes approximately fifteen days
and has four possible encounters, at the DM’s discretion.
The Cassalanter’s provide the PCs with a pack mule and a
dwarven guide (commoner) named Brantor Stonefingers.
Brantor encourages the PCs with the weakest Constitution
in the party to load their belongings on the mule in order to
help them travel quickly. If the PCs decline, they make a
CON save every five days, or gain a level of exhaustion
(blisters and fatigue) that slows the party significantly.
Devils Near Daggerford
On the Trade Way south of Daggerford along the edge of
the Misty Forest, an apprentice wizard named Astercook
Littleman, controlling two spined devils, has been tasked
by (the villain you selected) to keep lookout for the PCs
and to slow them down by attacking them and stealing
their belongings. Astercook commands the devils to
attempt to ambush the party and steal the pack mule, but
keeps himself 15 feet away from the PCs to maintain his
concentration on charm monster—a spell he doesn’t fully
understand. If Astercook loses any hit points during the
encounter, he loses concentration and the enraged devils
immediately turn on him and tear him to shreds.
Mounds Near Dragonspear Castle DM can add obstacles on the chase map or use the
“Wilderness Chase Complications” table (DMG, 254),
As Dragonspear Castle first comes into view far on the rolling one time for the pursuer, and one time for the
eastern horizon, you notice that the meadow before you quarry (the PCs). In the final 300ft before the walls of
has a number of bizarre linear mounds racing across it in Elturel, the terrain levels out as the PCs reaches Skullbask
a crisscrossing pattern. While gazing across the plain, the Road. Add +5ft walk/+10 dash for all PCs and NPCs who
ground seems to shake momentarily, but perhaps it was reach the road (finish line adrenaline!). 60 ft out from the
just your imagination... West Gate of Elturel, the Companion’s magical repulsion
of the undead causes them to be incinerated on the spot.
Will the party make it in time?
1d4 rounds after reading this, a bulette leaps from the
earth and shoots 15 feet in the air to attack the strongest If returning to Waterdeep by land, alter this description to
(Strength) PC. After the first round of combat, if there are “600 ft from the Winding River” and have the chase end at
any halflings in the party, the bulette targets them to eat the water (which the undead will not enter for fear that it
their yummy flesh. The bulette fights to the death. might be holy water), only to have the exhausted PCs run
into the venom troll on the other bank of the river!
A River Runs Through It
When crossing the Winding Water on either side of The
Trollclaws (or, of course, at a bridge), the PCs encounter a
venom troll who lives in a well disguised cave (DC 17
passive Perception) and zealously guards the river as if
those who try to cross it are violating its home. When the
first PC is halfway across their fording of the river, they
think they hear something say “It burns,” but none of the
other players hear anything. The troll attacks the first
person to reach the other side of the river, and continues to
shriek “it burns” throughout combat, driven mad by the
sting of the poison that courses through its veins.

The troll will not go into the water for superstitious

reasons, but if forced/thrown into the river and kept there
for one round, it will notice the water is washing away the
venom and dramatically decreasing its pain (DC 16
Medicine check works too). This realization will cause it
to disengage from combat, if allowed, and it will thank the
party profusely for helping it find “this miracle cure!”

Fields are Alive with an Undead Chase!

When the PCs are 600 feet out from the walls of Elturel
(assuming they travel to the city by land), the ground
begins to tremble on either side of them. 100 ft to their left
and right, a preposterous number of undead rapidly
emerge from the earth and immediately begin dashing
towards the PCs. The undead, which should be split evenly
to the left and right, include 10 skeletons, 2 ghouls, 3
ghasts, 1 orge zombie and 1 war horse skeleton (being
ridden by one of the skeletons). The DM can adjust as
necessary to ensure that the PCs realize that running is
their only option–let the chase begin!
Tracking exhaustion (PHB, 291) and understanding chase
dynamics (DMG, 252-255) will be vital to this encounter.
Keep in mind that the Dash action can only be used 3+
Constitution modifier times before the PCs have to roll a
DC 10 Constitution check or take one level of exhaustion.
All these undead have a speed of 60ft using dash, except
the war horse skeleton with a speed of 120ft using dash.
Being that most PCs and NPCs have a similar speed, it is
suggested to map the chase using squares that represent 30
ft each (for a total of 20 squares, a 10 round chase). The
By Sea
The trip to Elturel by sea takes approximately six days in
the Sea of Swords, another three days riding the River
Chionthar, and has four possible encounters at the DM’s
discretion. Jarlaxel provides the PCs with the Hellblazer,
Velgos Ephezzrin disguised as a human named Fergus
Crabwater (drow mage; WDH, 132) to captain the ship,
four officers: first mate, Fel’rekt Lafeen, disguised as
human Dalgus Darkwater; (drow gunslinger, WDH, 201),
a bosun, a quartermaster and a cook (all nobles), fifteen
sailors (commoners) and one clone of Nim named Harpito
(nimblewright, WDH, 212).
The voyage to Elturel’s goal is to familiarize PCs with the
basics of sea travel. The “Of Ships and Seas” chapter in
Ghost of Saltmarsh is suggested to deepen the experience
of sea travel. For this first voyage, “Officers & Crew (195-
96),” “Hazards (200-02),” and “Open Water Encounters
(207)” are the three short sections utilized for this
seafaring adventure.

7
 Two Optional Rules for the Voyage
First, start with a “crew quality score” of +4 (GS, 196) and
adjust daily to illustrate that the mood and commitment of
the crew can change dramatically throughout the voyage.
Second, if the Hellblazer takes more than 60 points of
damage (see “Orc Ballista Ambush” below), its speed is
halved and it will take one day of work form the entire
crew, while docked or anchored, to get it back to full speed
and into seafaring condition.
Hazards on the Open Sea
On the second day of the voyage, roll a d20 to determine
which Hazard Type the ship encounters, followed by a d20
to determine the Hazard DC (GS, 200-02). Roleplay the
hazard, incorporating as many of the officers and crew
members as possible to portray a serious event that
exemplifies the ever-present dangers of sea travel.
The Abductor’s Stowaways
The villain who abducted Lulu discovers that Jarlaxel is
offering his ship to help the PCs for one leg of the trip to
Elturel, and infiltrates the crew with a group comprised of
one doppleganger and three bandits, all of whom have
tattoos of their villain on their upper arm. These
stowaways captured and locked up the cook, Ernesto
Papafrito (now the doppleganger), and three crew
members who’s uniforms the bandits now wear. The only
clue as to this infiltration is the fact that Ernesto is without
question the best cook on any vessel in the Sea Maiden’s
Faire, and all of the crew begin to notice (as do the PCs)
that the food is horrible, and begin to wonder, openly, what
is wrong with Ernesto?
8
The stowaways wait for an opportunity to abduct one of
the PCs when they are separated from their companions,
and timing and severity of this encounter should be run at
the DM’s discretion. The stowaways demand that the ship
turn back or they will execute the captive, and their goal is
to delay the voyage as long as possible, with little concern
for their own lives. While the PCs will no doubt be
concerned, Dalgus Darkwater (aka Fel’rekt Lafeen) and
the entire crew of the Hellraiser are infuriated with this
deception and quietly scheme for an opportunity to disarm
the stowaways. If/when the stowaways are separated from
the hostage, Dalgus will very publicly show everyone
aboard the vessel what happens to those who dare to
double cross the Bregan D’aerthe!
Encounter on the Open Sea
Prior to the Hellblazer’s approach of Baldur’s Gate to sail
the River Chionthar, the DM should roll a d20 and run an
Open Water Encounter: Level 1-4 (GS, 207). If possible,
have the adversary’s board the Hellblazer and target the
PCs. Both this encounter and the “Hazards on the Open
Sea” encounter above can be run individually, or in
tandem with “The Abductor’s Stowaways” encounter.
Goblin Hucker & Ballista Ambush!
Prior to passing Fort Morninglord (but after passing
Baldur’s Gate), the Hellblazer rounds a corner of the River
Chionthar to discover a hillside covered with 10 orcs; 7 of
which are armed with heavy crossbows they fire upon the
ship, the remaining 3 orcs are working the ballista which
they load, aim and fire every three rounds; and one goblin
hucker (STK, 50) launching goblins with spiked helmets.
The ballista is 200 ft away, and the hucker is on the shore.
Assuming a steady wind, it will take the Hellraiser twelve
rounds of ranged combat to distance itself from the
ballista, goblin hucker, and orcs with crossbows who run
along the shoreline hoping to disable the ship and enable
them to board and pillage. The ship’s speed is reduced by
half if it takes over 60 points of damage, which will enable
the orcs on shore to swim out and climb onto the ship and
engage in hand-to-hand combat. May your wind be steady!
After a long voyage, the PCs see Elturel for the first time:
As you round the bend in the river after Fort
Morninglord, the majestic city of Elturel comes into
view. A tall wall surrounds the city, bustling docks line
the river, and a towering castle sits atop a large hill in the
center of the city. More impressive than the city,
however, is the shinning Companion, which looks like a
radiant second sun, hovering directly above Elturel.
The West Docks (E4) are the first docks the ship
encounters, and it is encouraged that the DM guide them to
dock here. They can, however, continue down the river
and dock at the larger Dragoneye Docks (E23) on the east
side of the city, but should only dock at Dragoneye if they
have a specific reason for wanting to do so.
 Chapter 2: Exploring Elturel
The goal of the Rescuing Lulu from Elturel is to familiarize the PCs with the places and citizens of Elturel in order
to deepen their experience (and shock!) when they return after the city falls into Avernus. This adventure
transforms Elturel into a sandbox with twenty-five historical locations for the PCs to explore.
Exploring Elturel Timeline
While the DM is welcome to shorten or extend the PCs
time in Elturel, a four-day timeline is used to identify the
significant events that take place in Rescuing Lulu. This
framework is used throughout the adventure (i.e. “Day
One,” “Day Two,” etc.) for time dependent clues.
Day Zero
The day that the kidnapped Lulu arrived in Elturel, which
is at least one day prior to the arrival of the PCs. The
hench people of the villain you choose smuggle Lulu into
the city while under a sleep spell and concealed in a bag of
holding. In an alleyway just north of the West Docks (E4),
they met up with Spurnyte Mal and his personal guard
and made the exchange. After the deal, the villain’s hench
people stayed the night at the cult of Zariel stronghold,
Symbril’s House (E12), before returning to
Waterdeep/Baldur’s Gate the following day. Upon
acquiring Lulu, Spurnyte took her into the catacombs
beneath the city known as “The Maze,” in order to
transport Lulu to a cell below the East Docks (E20) where
she will be held until being transported to her sacrifice.
This adventure is not designed for the PCs to rescue Lulu
in the Maze. Instead, they will explore the city and gather
clues that highlight a strange local situation that points
them towards the Furrowbrow’s wedding on Day Three.
Day One
The day that the PCs arrive in Elturel. Assuming that they
have had a challenging journey to the city, they will likely
need to find a place to stay the night and rest. All Elturian
locals direct them towards Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2). On the
evening of Day One, the diplomatic delegation of Grand
Duke Ulder Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate arrives at the
West Docks (E4), and is escorted by the Order of Elturel to
High Hall (E14). Word of Ravengard’s arrival has spread
around town the past week, so most locals know that the
public ceremony will be at noon at High Hall on Day Two.
Day Two
The day the PCs explore Elturel and gather clues that point
towards the Furrowbrow Wedding at Maiden’s Leap on
Day Three, where they will have a chance to save Lulu.
Rescuing Lulu is designed for the PCs to discover that
there are lots of strange outsiders in Elturel, that they are
closing down Maiden’s Leap for a private wedding on Day
Three, and the locals are none too happy about it. The PCs
should be able to gather the clues they need by visiting 6-
10 locations on Day Two and talking to both locals and
cultists along the way. While no NPC in this adventure
says “Lulu will be at the wedding,” the pervasive oddity of
the local situation points the PCs towards something
important happening at the wedding on Day Three.
9
 While no single location is vital, the largest amount of
clues (six) point towards the three most important
locations in the adventure: A Pair of Black Antlers (E18),
to meet Ontharr Frume at an infamous pub; Dragoneye
Dockhouse (E24), to meet Marisiam Rathanda; and High
Hall (E14), for Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard’s historic
ceremony. All the clues for the adventure are listed by
location and source in “Appendix I: Clues by Location.”

Day Three
All roads point to the Furrowbrow’s wedding at Maiden’s
Leap—a private event for cult of Zariel members only.
The PCs need to scout out Maiden’s Leap and create a
heist strategy to infiltrate the wedding. For the final
encounter, Reya and the PCs will be joined by Ontharr
Frume and Marisiam Rathanda, who’s intel has led them to
the wedding for similar reasons. These NPCs enable the
party to split into two groups, because rescuing Lulu will
require being in two places at one time! Will the party
make it before Lulu is sacrificed?

Elturel Under High Alert! Cult of Zariel (aka “Zarielites”)

When the players arrive in the city, the citizens and
officials of Elturel are on high alert for three reasons:
Unwelcomed Visitors
Zarielites (aka cult of Zariel members) have been
streaming into Elturel from across Faerûn for months now
to be present when the city falls into Avernus. The cultists
do not talk about their affiliation, and their only physical
distinction is that 20% have shaven their heads to show
reverence to Zariel. All Zarielites are clearly wealthy, are
very aloof and often rude to locals, but what really
distinguishes them is that they say the craziest things!
Locals are troubled that these ill-mannered visitors were
somehow able to secured a permit to shut down Maiden’s
Leap for a private wedding. All locals are vocal about
their frustration with the strange visitors, and a few have
even begun making jokes about all the “baldies” in town.
Ravengard’s Arrival in Elturel
Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate, is on his
historic first, multi-week diplomatic visit to Elturel at the
invitation of High Observer Thavius Kreeg in DR
1492/1494 (historical dates vary). Due to the sensitive
nature of this diplomatic mission, all of the locations of the
Grand Duke’s visit (High Hall, E14; Hellriders Keep, E11;
Helm’s Shieldhall, E8), and the city in general, are under
the close watch of the Order of Elturel. The welcoming
public ceremony will happen Day Two at High Hall.
Murdered Hellriders
In the past month, two Hellriders have been murdered in
Elturel. This is the work of Spurnyte Mal, a mage and
leader of the cult of Zariel who is working to assassinate
anyone who might oppose Zariel when Elturel falls (HT,
20). Marisiam Rathanda is a Hellrider and the Dragoneye
Dockmaster (E24), and she is secretly leading the
investigation and has vital information for the PCs.
Throughout this adventure, no member of the cult of Zariel
will divulge any information about Lulu’s whereabouts or
information about any other cultists, even at risk of their
own lives. The reason for this is simple: the cultists are not
only unafraid of death, they welcome it! If the PCs kill any
cultist, their pact with Zariel will go into effect and they
will be reborn in Avernus and be able to help prepare for
the fast-approaching fall of Elturel.
This does not, however, mean that the cultists are of no use
in finding Lulu. Every cultist who is not suspicious or
threatened by the PCs will direct them—like they direct all
the citizens of Elturel whom they hope to convert—to the
four current strongholds and upcoming cult of Zariel
members wedding on Day Three. This adventure is
designed so that the DM can choose to share one or two of
the following locations every time the PCs interact with a
cultist. Numerous clues are provided for all four of the
locations listed below in order to diversify gameplay (see
Appendix II: Zarielite Stronghold Clues)
1. Owlbear Butcher Shop (E7)
2. Symbril’s House (E12)
3. East Docks (E20)
4. Ragron Blacksmithing in Shiarra’s Market (E22)
5. Furrowbrow’s Wedding at Maiden’s Leap (E10) on
Day Three
Roleplaying the Cultists: All the Zarielites in Elturel are
delirious with excitement for the coming fall of Elturel into
Avernus. As a result, social interactions with any cultist
get weird quickly, whether it’s speaking a bit of gibberish
or being too excited about a sandwich shop, the cultist
abnormal behavior will definitely catch the PCs attention.
All Zarielites are talking about the Furrowbrow’s wedding
(E10) on Day Three, which is where this adventure, and
the chance to rescue Lulu, will conclude.

10
Zarielite Response team
Any PCs who excessively threaten, forcefully interrogate,
or kill any Zarielites will trigger an alert across the city
that sets in motion an encounter with a Zarielite Response
Team 1d4 hours after said violation. The encounter will
occur in a side alley while the PCs travel from one point to
another, and no locals will appear during the attack. The
response team consists of its leader Belevius, a well-
dressed black abishai assigned by Zariel herself to ensure
nothing goes amiss in the period before the fall, and four
cult fanatics, all of whom have shaved heads.
If Belevius is reduced to less than 20 hp, he casts Creeping
Darkness and flees, while the cult fanatics fight to the
death. The last response team member to die will shout,
“Your efforts are of no use, your precious Lulu will be
served on a platter tomorrow! I’ll see you in hell!” After
the fight, all cultists in Elturel have been alerted to the
party and will refuse to talk to any PCs, but will not be
hostile in public. If, however, they can lure the PCs inside
one of their strongholds, they will attack.
While it has no implications for this adventure, it is
important to note for the Descent from Waterdeep Series,
that while Belevius is loyal to Zariel currently, he is, as all
Abishai are, loyal first and foremost to Tiamat. He will
relay relevant information gathered to Arkhan the Cruel
(DIA, 111-113) to pass to Tiamat, as Arkham sees fit.
Rescuing Lulu is designed to give the PCs insider
knowledge of where valuable stashes and items are for
when they return to Elturel after it falls into Avernus. But
the weapons, treasure and magic stored in Elturel are too
powerful for the PCs at this stage in their adventure. The
DM is thus encouraged to ensure that the party knows the
stakes in violating the laws and power of the Order of
Elturel.
The Value of Roleplaying
Underlying this adventure is the philosophy that fighting
and seeking coin is easy, but memorable roleplaying is
hard to find. As such, a majority of the locations that
follow were designed to create the foundation for quality
roleplaying—i.e. a great deal of detail about each situation.
The DM is encouraged to use what you want and ignore
what you don’t find useful in making Elturel your own.
Additionally, combat and treasure in the exploration of
Elturel are sparse. The dual location battle royale in the
final chapter and the unique (and stunningly difficult)
treasures at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2), are meaningful
examples of both. For the DM who wants more combat,
please add what you deem necessary. If you want more
treasure, consult “Random Treasure” (DMG p.133-149).

The Order of Elturel

The Order of Elturel is composed of both branches of the
city’s military forces: the Order of the Companion soldiers,
and the Hellrider scouts and knights. All members of the
Order of Elturel treat the PCs with respect so long as the
PCs do not give them a reason not to do so. They will give
two warnings, and go to great lengths (as will Elturian
citizens) to convey to the PCs that Elturel is heavily
fortified and that rabblerousers who violate the laws and/or
assault any member of the Order will be arrested and
expelled from the city promptly. Reya Mantlemorn will
also intervene to remind the PCs that if they are expelled,
it will be impossible to save Lulu. Elturel is like
Waterdeep, only far more serious about its security at this
particular historical moment.

Order of Elturel Response team

If the PCs ignore the many warnings they are given about
breaking into city buildings (High Hall, E14; Hellriders
Keep, E11; Helm’s Shieldhall, E8), stealing city-owned
possessions (weapons, artifacts, etc.) and/or assaulting any
member of the Order of Elturel, 1d20 minutes after the
violation they will be arrested by an Order of Elturel
Response Team comprised of fifteen Order of the
Companion veterans and five Hellrider knights and taken
before Hellrider Major General Qirth Staedfall (HK, 1),
who will punish them by taking all their coins and jewels
(only valuables, not weapons or magical items) and
expelling them through the West Gate of the city into the
Fields of the Dead to fend for themselves—with no chance
of rescuing Lulu.

11
12
 Locations in Elturel
Pointcrawling in Elturel
The numbered map-points on DM’s Map: Elturel before
the Fall above are the twenty-fire historical locations of
Elturel detailed below. High resolution versions of the
DM’s Map above and the Player’s Map: Elturel before the
Fall can be found in the Map Pack included with this
adventure.
This chapters transforms Elturel into a sandbox and is
designed to be implemented using a “pointcrawl structure”
created by Chris Kutalik (“The Hill Cantons,” 2012). The
basic idea is simple, and well-articulated by Justin
Alexander: “Pointcrawls are fairly straightforward. You
see how the map-point…has a number of keyed locations.
PCs at one point can travel to, [and only to] any connected
point.” (See ARA, 5C for a detailed analysis and
explanation of Pointcrawl structure)
The locations named on the Elturel DM Map are known to
all Elturian citizens, but the party must talk to locals (or
ask Reya) to get directions. The party must go to a given
location for the first time in order for the party to “know”
the location as group knowledge. A clean Elturel Map and
a Player Pointcrawl Map are provided in the map pack, and
the DM is free to use whichever they want for gameplay.
These historical locations are drawn primarily from the
following sources: Volo’s Guide to the Sword Coast by Ed
Greenwood (VSC), Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
(DIA), Descent into Avernus: The Alexandrian Remix by
Justin Alexander (ARA), Hellturel by James Introcaso
(HT), and The Hellriders Keep by Carter VanHuss (HK).
E1. The West Gate
Upon entering the West Gate, the PCs met by two of the
six Order of the Companion veterans who are currently
stationed to ensure the security of the Elturel both inside
and outside its walls. The guards are on high alert and
question the PCs as to their reason for visiting the city and
how long they plan to stay. If the PCs mention Lulu, they
are taken to the captain’s quarters and questioned for an
additional 30 minutes to determine if this creature is a
threat to the city. Assuming they don’t further alarm the
guards, they are released and instructed to be on their best
behavior. As the PCs exit into Elturel, one of the veterans
suggests Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2) for lodging and ale. If the
PCs are leaving the city, they are warned about recent
reports of reincarnated undead in the Fields of the Dead.
E2. Phontyr’s Unicorn
Phontyr's Unicorn is a splendid establishment with deep
green carpets, ferns in hanging baskets, and dim lighting
from strategically placed glowing globes. The inn's walls
feature many carvings, painted shields, and tapestries
with glowing blue-white images of a magnificent
unicorn. At the front desk to your left, a well-dressed
dragonborn attendant says “Welcome to the magical
Phontyr’s Unicorn! Are you just here for ale, or would
you like to book one of our curtained and canopied beds
on the second level?” (VSC, 100)
Treis Langstraat, the dragonborn front desk attendant and
owner is kind, exuberant and of no clear gender. They are
knowledgeable about the city and happy to suggest popular
locations in the city or answer any question they can. They
do share that “Dry white house wine, sliced cheese, and
salted biscuits are available for free for all guests who stay
the night for a chance to see the magical Phontyr’s
Unicorn!” Rooms are 5sp, per person, per night.
Treis is also the Elturian leader of the local cult of the
Unicorn and bought this establishment after Phontyr’s
death. They share, “those of us who worship the unicorn,
typically fall on our knees and chant with adoration when
it is seen. If you get a chance to see it on your stay here,
count yourself very lucky indeed.” (VSC, 100).
The Tavern
The tavern area to the right of the front desk is lively with
a handful of tables and standing room only at the bar.
Nara Kosk (HT, 18) (LN female Damaran human priest)
sits at the far end of the bar and is noticeably alone and
aloof. Nara only talks to magic users. “I work for
renowned priest Darro Voat at Helm’s Shieldhall (E8),
and he wants me to attend the public ceremony at High
Hall (E14) at noon tomorrow (Day Two) on his behalf.”
Nara gushes about “my love for the famous Druid of
Silvanus, Seltern Obranch, who does daily rituals at
Maiden’s Bridge (E9), which have brought me great deal
of valuable insight in these troubling times.”
Meeting the Young Hellriders. The normally stoic Reya
Mantlemorn makes an unexpected scene when she notices
her best friend, Alfons Ribbens, sitting with Dalmen &
Farrio Kalwat. All three are Hellriders like Reya, (LG
13
 male Calishite human scouts; HT 17). After introducing
her old friends to her new ones, the Hellriders inform Reya
of the recent murders of two Hellriders, and the mood at
the table drops as one of the murdered Hellriders, Katja
Krol, was a good friend.
What the Hellriders know. Dalmen tells the group that
“Marisiam Rathanda, the Dragoneye Dockmaster (E24) is
the Hellrider who has been charged with investigating the
murders, and I’ve heard she recently uncovered something
important, but I haven’t heard what yet.” Alfons tells Reya
that he was invited to a wedding of Cal and Rhem
Furrowbrow at Maidens Bridge (E8—Day Three), and is
surprised at this invitation because he’s only had his
clothes tailored at the couples shop twice, but he plans to
go so as to not be rude.
The invitation was made maliciously, as the Furrowbrow’s
and the cult of Zariel plan to use Alfons as a Hellrider
sacrifice prior to sacrificing Lulu.
The Legend of Phontyr’s Unicorn
This local legend is a story that Treis, or any regular at the
Tavern, is happy to share:
“A powerful mage named Phontyr’s home once sat on
this spot, and it was rumored that his consort was a
unicorn. I know, it’s bizarre, but to each their own!
Anyways, the unicorn sometimes appears around the inn
after sunset, and rumors abound that those who are able
to follow it will be lead to rich treasure. I’ve been lucky
to have seen it myself a few times, but never to follow it.
Every evening there are surely people outside on the
lookout!”
14
Unicorn’s Magical Hideaways
Developed from VSC, 100-101
Phontyr’s Unicorn appears approximately 20 times a year,
so each night after sunset, there will be two locals waiting
outside the tavern to spot the unicorn too (one neutral
good, one neutral evil). Have a PC or NPC call a number
between 1-20, and then roll a d20. If the number is guessed
correctly, the unicorn appears and the chase is on!
The Chase. For the chase, every PC and NPC rolls for
themselves and must succeed on three consecutive DC 10
checks: Athletics (STR) to run after the unicorn,
Acrobatics (DEX) to jump the fence that the beast floats
over, and a final Nature (INT) to be able to follow it
through the magical forest beyond the fence. NPCs roll all
these checks with advantage (they are locals and are
prepared). Anyone who succeeds on all three ability
checks cross through a shimmering portal that appears in
the forest. The portal separates all who cross through into
two groups based on their alignment (see below).
Planar History. Contrary to popular local belief, both of
the following locations are not actually outside of Elturel,
but are, in fact, magical places created by Phontyr in the
Astral Plane. The Dwarven Hold of Happiness is located
deep inside the rock of Mount Celestia, and the Tomb of
the Dark Wood Mage is located in an isolated (and
unknown) petrified wood forest surrounded on all sides by
deep canyons in Nessus, the ninth level of Hell ruled by
Asmodeus. (Hideaways planar history inspired by the
“Travelers’ Lore” section of VSC, 101).
Other Hideaways. Phontyr was awake to the possibility
that someone might have a string of good luck, so he
created other, unknown secure locations for his unicorn to
travel to throughout the cosmos. In the unlikely chance
that a PC was to successfully make it to either of the
following hideaways a second time (which would likely
occur on a second lucky roll after Elturel has fallen), the
treasure and puzzles would be completely different and
would need to be designed from the ground up by the DM.
Dwarven Hold of Happiness
(All good alignments, lawful neutral & neutral)
You walk through the portal, which remains after you
exit, and enter a spectacular cave with a ceiling over 100
feet high. As your vision comes back into focus, you
notice that the walls are entirely covered with runes that
seem to glow more brightly when you look at them. The
floor of the room is barren except for four stone statues
each spaced about 30 feet apart from each other in the
middle of the room.
Statues: goristro, skittering horror, nightwalker and a
gold dragon. DO NOT name them, either describe them
or use miniatures.
Investigating the Hold. Any PC who walks the
circumference of the room, along the wall, notices that it is
in fact split into four quadrants. As they approach the wall
at the center of each quadrant, the runes glow and
converge and the vision of a three-dimensional magical
item appears two feet inside of the stone. The PC can reach
through the stone and grab the weapon freely. There are
four weapons/offensive magic items, one in each in each
quadrant of the room. For characters 1-6 level: the
weapons are rare; 7-12 level: the weapons are very rare;
13-20 level: the weapons are legendary. All weapons are
selected at the DM’s discretion.
Wielding a Weapon. Upon grabbing each weapon, if the
player turns around, they notice that one of the four statues
is directly behind them. If the weapon is wielded
against/shot at this statue, it destroys the statue which
crumbles to the ground. The weapon will only damage the
statue behind it, it will not do damage to any of the other
statues. Any powers the weapon possesses that are
noticeable to the six senses are experienced by the PC who
uses the weapon, but the name of the weapon and its other
abilities remain a mystery (Phontyr made sure an identify
spell wouldn’t work here).
Hold Rules. Each PC and NPC can only walk back
through the portal with one weapon—any character
holding multiple weapons cannot pass through the portal.
If multiple PCs/NPCs that made it into the hold, each
quadrant only produces one weapon at a time, so two
characters could not hold the same weapon at the same
time. If any characters fight with each other with the
weapons, in anger or irritation, all the weapons disappear
permanently (due to their alignment—a stern punishment).
Upon entering the portal, the players see the unicorn and a
Phontyr embracing, and moments later find themselves
standing outside of the Inn (which will startle anyone
standing out front, as they materialize from nothing).
Tomb of the Dark Wood Mage
(All evil assignments & chaotic neutral)
You walk through the portal, which remains after you
exit, and enter an octagonal crypt with ceilings and walls
made of completely interwoven petrified wood branches.
Eight coffins without lids sit ten feet out from the
intersection of each side of the crypt in a flower-like
shape. In the middle of the room is a table with a great
sword, a bottle of potion, and __ burlap sack(s). As you
get your bearings, you notice that you are clothed, but
every item you had on you previously is missing.
Note: the number of burlap sacks is equal to the
PCs/NPCs that came through the portal. The bottle is a
scentless potion of poison.
Coin Coffins. The odd numbered coffins are filled with
different kinds of unmarked coins. The DM should
describe only the color of the coins, but NOT tell the PC
what they are (descriptions are based on the pictures in the
“Coinage” section of the PHB, 143—PCs cannot consult
this text during the encounter).
Coffin contents: 1) light grey (platinum); 3) blue grey
(electrum); 5) dark grey (silver); 7) gold (gold). If the PC
is a banker or other vocation that deals with coins daily,
they can roll 1d8 (round down on even roll), and they
know the coins in the corresponding coffin (i.e. a roll of
“3” knows blue grey coins are electrum).
Gem Coffins. The even numbered coffins have the
following gems, each sitting on an ornate glass holder in
the center of the coffin. The DM should describe only the
color of the gems, but NOT tell the PC what they are
(descriptions are based on the descriptions in the
“Gemstones” section of the DMG, 134—PCs cannot
consult this text during this encounter)
Coffin contents: 2) one transparent red gem (Spinel); 4)
eight opaque crimson gems (Coral); 6) three transparent
fiery orange gems (Jacinth); 8) five translucent light green
gems (Jade). Only if the PC is a jeweler by vocation, can
they can roll a 1d8 (round up on an odd roll), and they
know the stones in the corresponding coffin (i.e. a role of
“4” would know the eight stones are Coral). Player
knowledge is acceptable if, and only if, the PC is a jeweler
AND has read page 134 of the DMG enough to memorize
these descriptions (intense D&D study pays off!)
TOMB RULES: A PC can only take one hundred pounds
of a single kind of coin OR all of the gems in one coffin
(and one coffin only) through the portal in a burlap sack.
Both coins and gems will only go into the sacks—they will
be magically sucked out of the pockets, clothing, or hands
of PCs who attempt to walk away from the coffin with
coins or gems not in a burlap sack. Any character with
coins or gems from multiple coffins cannot cross through
the portal.
15
 Filling Burlap Sacks. If a character starts filling up the
burlap sacks with coins from one coffin, it takes them a
minute of scooping and they are physically unable to
remove a single coin past one hundred pounds and/or any
coins (or gems) from another coffin. Due to Phontyr’s
magic, they cannot determine how many coins are in the
sack in any way—by counting, looking inside, dumping
the coins back into the coffin and observing, etc.—but it
does “feel like about one hundred pounds of coins” with
passive perception. Likewise, a PC can only take all the
gems from one coffin and place them in the burlap sack,
and will be physically unable to put other gems (or coins)
from another coffin into the sack.
The value of the eight coffins, in gold, is as follows:
1. 100lbs Platinum = 10,000gp
2. One Spinel = 100gp
3. 100lbs Electrum = 500gp
4. Eight Coral = 800gp
5. 100lbs Silver = 100gp
6. Three Jacinth = 15,000gp
7. 100lbs Gold = 1,000gp
8. Five Jades = 500gp
Evil Is As Evil Does. The PC can only walk back through
the portal with one bag of coins or gems following the
rules above. If, however, there are multiple PCs/NPCs that
made it into the tomb, a player (as a result of their
evil/chaotic neutral alignment) can take the sack(s) of the
other characters through the portal if, and only if, they
attack the other PC(s) and reduce them to zero hit points
and/or kill them. If a PC who stole a sack enters the portal,
any PCs or NPCs still in the tomb who are at zero hit
points are killed instantaneously.
In the portal, the PC sees the unicorn and Phontyr
embracing, before finding themselves standing outside of
the Inn with all of their old gear returned. Their sudden
appearance will startle anyone outside the inn, but not as
much as the fact that their burlap sack has disappeared and
all the coins/gems they gathered are now bouncing around
on the cobblestones for everyone outside the inn to see!
16
E3. Grand Cemetery
Only the grounds of the Grand Cemetery and the first level
of the Chapel are used in this adventure (Map available in
DIA, 65-68; Rooms G1-G5), but the DM is welcome to
expand to the Ossuary. All destruction in DIA descriptions
should be removed. The Chapel is in pristine condition.
The PCs arrive at an important moment, with Gideon
Lightward (LE human priest, DIA 65) attending to the
dying Opallita the Devout (LG human acolyte, DIA 65).
Despite having been corrupted by devils and now serving
Zariel, Gideon has, for the moment, put aside his service to
Zariel to care for Opallita—who was his mentor—in her
dying days. While not used in this adventure, Gideon’s
Journal is open on his desk in (G5) “Gideon’s Quarters”
(see DIA, 67-68 for information in the journal).
G1. Walk of Bravery
Gideon is sitting on the steps of the Walk of Bravery
taking a break from caring for Opallita. Surprised by the
PCs arrival, he tells them, “I am sorry, I am not able to
give any tours today.” If the PCs inquire why, he tells them
“I am caring for my sick mentor who is a religious icon
here in Elturel.” Reya Mantlemorn will ask if he is talking
about Opallita the Devout with great surprise. While
Gideon is not excited to have a Hellrider around, he is
moved by her concern for Opallita. Reya and/or any PC
who wants to see Opallita must succeed on a DC 12
Religion (INT) check to convince Gideon they are genuine
in their concern. If they pass, he takes them to the
Vestment Chamber (G4).
G4. Vestment Chamber
Opallita is laying in a simple bed and is delirious and
talking gibberish about devils and demons. But she has
moments of lucidity where she says “I’m sorry Torm for
not having served you well, but the portal I created in the
Ossuary below didn’t help me stop the dark forces already
arriving in Elturel!” A DC 15 Insight/Perception (WIS)
check reveals that this comment made Gideon flinch, and
that he is uncomfortable. After this comment, Gideon tells
the PCs that Opallita needs to rest and escorts them out.
As they are leaving, Opallita blurts “I don’t need the Helm
of Torm’s Sight to know that Symbril’s is decaying!” Now
even more uncomfortable, Gideon tries to avoid talking
about Symbril’s House (where his fellow Zarielites are
gathering) by talking about the details of the Helm (see
DIA, 70). He will also tell them details about Torm’s
portal down in the Ossuary (DIA 65; G12), but will not
take them there because he is very busy.

If the PCs hear Opallita’s outburst, as they leave, Gideon

tells them if they are interested in magic that they should
visit Iolanthe Oshrat at the Tower of (E6), and if they are
thirsty they should check out the town’s most famous
tavern, Pair of Black Antlers (E16). This is his attempt at
misdirection to keep them as far away from Symbril’s
House (E11) as possible.

E4. West Docks

The docks are bustling with many travelers and traders.
Soon after arriving (by sea or land), the PCs notice a man
drop a heavy sack that clangs with the sound of metal. A
PC making a successful DC 13 Perception (WIS) check,
notices a number of (silvered) weapons through an
opening at the top of the sack.

Meeting Dunmar and Niri. The NPC who dropped the

sack is Dunmar Axeshine, who is quickly helped by his
fellow Hellrider and partner Niri Whistlewood (LG
Tethyrian human scouts; HT 21, 23). Assuming the PCs
help, are kind, or are with Reya, Dunmar and Niri explain
that they are transporting weapons for Dragoneye
Dockmaster Marisiam Rathanda, because the West Docks
are currently low on weapons due to the arming the Order
of Elturel last night after the arrival of Grand Duke Ulder
Ravengard.
What Dunmar & Niri Know. Niri tells the group that
“Grand Duke Ravengard and High Observer Thavius
Kreeg have a historic public ceremony tomorrow at High
Hall (E14), a tour of the Hellriders Keep (E11) afterwards,
and a private dinner at Helm’s Shieldhall (E8) in the
evening (Day Two).” Dunmar warns the players, “Stay
away from the Redeye Coaster, the rundown building over
there (points west), as it is a well-known smuggler
operation run by a dangerous group.” If the PCs mention
the Zhentarim by name, Dunmar will confirm that they run
the Redeye, and warn them that they also control the
Dragoneye Coaster (E25) at the Dragoneye Docks (E23).
E5. Redeye Coaster
E6. Tower of Bèr Nölmein
You round a street corner and catch your first glance of
the stunning Tower of Bèr Nölmein. It is precariously
narrow in diameter yet somehow stretches far higher
than seems structurally possible. The masonry is an
interlaced stonework pattern, the likes of which you have
never seen. Two giant wood and steel doors, with hand
carved runes, stand at the foot of the tower.
The doors are locked. If the PCs knock on the door nothing
happens for 30 seconds, but then one of the doors opens
smoothly and a tall young woman, Iolanthe Oshrat, (CN
female elven apprentice wizard; ARA, 5C-C) greets the
PCs and invites them in, but quickly apologizes, “Pardon
my master, he is making quite a racket, but needs to not be
disturbed right now.”

This warehouse is a front for the Zhentarim, which control
most of the contraband and smuggling going through the
West Docks, to the dismay of the Dockmaster. Despite this
being the city’s worst kept secret, the Order of Elturel have
been unable to secure the evidence necessary to shut this
smuggling operation down. The Zhentarim also control the
Dragoneye Coaster (E25) at the Dragoneye Docks (E23).
Bèr Nölmein (NG, elven wizard, ARA, 5C-C) is at the
back of the tower (which seems far larger inside than it did
outside) and currently has no fewer than four glowing
portals open and suspended in the air. It is a sight to
behold. If any PC interrupts him, they are sucked into one
of the portals. They return, unharmed, via a different portal
one minute later. None of this is noticed by Bèr Nölmein.

17
 What Iolanthe Knows. Iolanthe shares “my brother
Wembra Oshrat just left two days ago at the invitation of
the Baldur’s Gate Council of Four, to attend an arcane
conference. It’s strange that they are doing that while the
Grand Duke of Baldur’s Gate is here for the first time,
he’s actually speaking at High Hall at noon today.”
Iolanthe doesn’t know that Baldur’s Gate Councilmember
Thalamra Vanthampur scheduled this conference at the
same time as Grand Duke Ravengard’s visit to Elturel, as a
means of executing as many Elturian mages as possible so
that they can’t help when Elturel falls.

If the PCs tell Iolanthe about their search for Lulu and
describe the hollyphant, she is visibly stunned. After
regaining her composure, she shares:

“Three days ago I was awakened in the middle of the

night from a dream of a golden elephant in a net being
snuck into the city, transferred to a group of cloaked
figures, and taken to a cell somewhere.

If you want to save your friend, I would suggest talking

to Darro Voat at Helm’s Shieldhall, Ontharr Frume at A
Pair of Black Antlers tavern, or Marisiam Rathanda at
the Dragoneye Dockhouse. These three will surely have
knowledge of the underground dealings in Elturel.”

O1. Front Sales Room

E7. Owlbear Butcher Shop
A long, blue one-story building is adorned with multiple
faded cartoonish paintings of a strange beast, and a sign
hanging over the door reads “Owlbear Butcher Shop.”
Three human women in gold and red cloaks with hoods
stand outside the shop, singing an ear piercing, off-key,
“song” as you approach:
The quirky shop has a large display case with all manner
of exotic meats, including ground shadow mastiff cutlets,
dire wolf chops, pâté du griffon and the sandwich of the
day: Shredded Gibbering Mouther on a Croissant.
Dozens of large silver serving platters are stacked on the
table behind the counter.

In the back right hand corner of the shop is a large statue

“All our love for our winged protector,
She is the champion of our hearts and souls,
She casts a spell and makes a vector,
Let us be taken through magical holes.
Her halo on high, our bodies on low,
Let retribution come to those who fled,
Only the chosen are in the know,
Have an owlbear sandwich or end up dead!”
of a not-friendly-looking golem, gifted to a Lora by Zariel.
The golem will become a helmed horror when Elturel falls,
but for now it is simply a—very out of place—statue.
Lora Zurag (LE female Damaran human veteran) is the
owner and an iconic Elturian who has for decades hunted
rare animals to serve at her butcher shop—a destination for
Sword Coast food lovers. A tenday ago, Zariel granted
Lora her youth in exchange for her soul and her
willingness to be one of the leaders of the growing cult.

Gyraya, Shevna, and Ravarra (LE female Rashemi
human cult fanatics) are the women trying to sing outside
the door to the butcher shop. A successful DC12
Perception (WIS) check reveals that underneath Sheyna’s
hood, she has shaved her head. They will not discuss the
lyrics with anyone but fellow Zarielites. If they are
questioned about anything, they begin flirting with female
or non-binary PCs. They are happy to follow through and
will take the interested PCs to the Meat Storeroom (O3)
for some fiendish fun.
When the PCs enter, Lora is bizarrely looking at her young
(30 year old) arms with huge smile on her face and doesn’t
even notice their entry until someone says something,
which startles her, “Oh my, welcome to the Owlbear
Butcher Shop, what can I prepare for you on this
wonderful day?” Lora continues to marvel at her new body
throughout the encounter, awkwardly. If asked about the
stacks of covered serving dishes, Lora will share that they
are for a “wedding of the Furrowbrow’s, my dearest
friends, at Maidens Leap tomorrow! Everyone loves cake!”

18
Nootie’s Surprise. If the PCs stay for more than three
rounds, a local, Noortie Ramaek, arrives and asks when
Lora will be in. Lora replies, “Well don’t be silly Noortie,
it’s me, Lora!” Noortie’s face goes white, as the last time
she was in a tendays ago, Lora was an older woman. She
quickly orders some pâté du griffon and leaves the shop,
clearly bewildered. If any PC follows her into the street
and asks about the interaction, Noortie plays it off saying
“I don’t know, things are just bizarre in Elturel recently.”
If she is pushed for more details, a successful DC 12
Persuasion (CHA) check leads to her revealing, “Lora
Zurag is 60 years old… I must just be losing my mind, I’m
sorry, I need to go,” before rushing off down the street.
Like all Zarielites, Lora and the three female “singers” act
strangely and point everyone the talk to towards the four
Zarielite strongholds and the Furrowbrow Wedding on
Day Three. Consult “Appendix II: Zarielite Stronghold
Clues” for a multitude of lines of strange dialogue!
O2. Butcher Shop
A table in the center of the room has a huge platter with a
stuffed and roasted barghest with an apple in its mouth.
This is the centerpiece of the Furrowbrow wedding dinner.
O3. Meat Storeroom
Multiple exotic carcasses are hanging from meat hooks,
and two long butcher tables line the walls.
A successful DC15 Investigation (INT) check of the walls
notices a loose panel, which if removed reveals a secret
compartment (HT, 28) that at this time holds 125gp and a
sleeping imp, which awakes and fights to the death. This
compartment is highly unlikely to be discovered unless the
three female cultists bring a PC back here for an intimate
encounter. Regardless, if an attempt to open the secret
compartment is observed by any cultist, they will try to
stop the PC. If the player persists, initiate the Zarielite
Response Team.
Butcher Shop Bacchanal. If any PCs agree to follow the
three female cultists back for an intimate encounter, a few
minutes in Ravarra will ask “do you want unlimited power
and pleasure?” If the PCs says yes, she offers, “it is as
simple as committing yourself completely to the most
powerful woman in all the realms.” None of the women
will state Zariel’s name until after the contract is signed. If
the PC agrees, Ravarra will produce parchment and quill
out of thin air. The infernal contract will offer any power
or wealth the PC wants, will take 10 minutes to read fully,
and will require a DC 13 Insight (WIS) check to notice that
on the second to last page, buried in legal jargon, the
player is selling their soul when they die for this power. If
the PC does not sign the contract, the three women end the
intimate encounter and take the PC back to the Front Sales
Room before going back outside to continue their
“singing.” They will no longer talk to any PC if the
contract was not signed.
E8. Helm’s Shieldhall
DM Note: If the PCs arrive after sundown on Day Two,
the private dinner for Ravengard’s delegation is taking
place, two Hellrider knights are stationed at all three outer
wall entrances, and no one is allowed inside. It requires a
DC22 Stealth or Deception check to get inside, and any PC
caught inside initiates the Order of Elturel Response Team.
M1. Shieldhall Courtyard
The courtyard itself is empty, but there appears to be some
activity going on in the stables if using the south entrance.
M2. Shieldhall Stables
The Stablemaster, Leeandra Hillavus, is tending to the
three horses currently boarded in the stables. She is the
partner of Ander Yernoa, and is hopeful to steal him away
soon for a good roll in the hay. She will share that she
hates Yalte Zicma only if she is asked directly about her,
and with a successful DC15 Persuasion (CHA) check,
Leeandra will also divulge that two days ago she saw Yalte
out by the East Docks (E20) talking to an intimidating bald
male who “looked like a devious man.” This man was
Spurnyte Mal, but Leeandra doesn’t know that.
M3. Outhouse
Inside the outhouse, the privy is an 18 inch diameter
opening that goes into the tunnel network (The Maze)
under the city. No local shares this, as who wants to climb
into a privy? If, for some odd reason the PCs go down
through the privy hole, they wander lost for 2d20 turns
(minimum 10 turns), until finally hearing a sound and
approaching the light of a massive underground study with
a man seated at a desk. The man is High Rider Ikaia. (for
full description, see Old Harvest House, E16).
M4. Entrance Hall
During the daytime the doors are open. The PCs find
Ander Yernoa (LG male Rashemi human commoner;
HT, 15) sweeping the front hall. Ander is a fiery old man,
a devout worshiper of Helm, and he makes hilariously
inappropriate, but always truthful, observations. He is
happy to be a guide for the PCs around the first floor of the
Shieldhall and tells stories about the Hellriders and Helm.
19
20
M5. Chapel of Helm
The Chapel is empty except for two clergy people training
for a ceremony near the altar on the raised stage. The
leaders are the High Priest of Helm, Darro Voat and his
apprentice Yalte Zicma, who Darro recently promoted to
full priest with the intention that she will become his
successor. Darro is irritated with Yalte’s lack of attention
to his instruction today, and more generally, feels as
though he might have mistakenly promoted Yalte, who
since the promotion has been aloof, late to training, and
often even arrogant.
Darro Voat (LG male human priest; HT, 18) is happy to
talk to the PCs alone in the Feast Hall (M8) if they ask. As
the High Priest of Helm, he has complete knowledge of the
history of the Hellriders, deep concern for the recent
murders of two Hellriders, and is aware of nearly
everything going on in town. He will warn the PCs not to
go into the caverns below the city if they ask, but will
instead suggest that they talk to Ontharr Frume, who can
probably be found drinking at the Pair of Black Antlers
tavern. He will concur with the feeling of many citizens
that something is amiss in Elturel and will comment that
many strange people have been coming to Elturel recently.
If the PCs mention Spurnyte Mal, Darro will warn them
that he is up to no good, but Darro is not yet aware that…
Yalte Zicma (NE, female human priest; HT 12), recently
signed an infernal contract with Zariel under the guidance
of Spurnyte Mal, whom Yalte now considers her mentor.
Spurnyte has told Yalte to bide her time, as her knowledge
of the Shieldhall will be invaluable when Elturel falls.
Yalte is having a hard time doing this, as she is impatient
and got her first taste of blood when she recently murdered
the Hellrider Katja Krol. She now regularly fantasizes of
killing others, including Darro!
Yalte will gladly excuse herself from this boring ceremony
to talk to the PCs privately, if asked. So long as she is not
made aware of the PCs search for Lulu and/or that the PCs
have not already done something to alert the cult of Zariel
(she will know if they have). Consult “Appendix II:
Zarielite Stronghold Clues” for a multitude of lines of
outlandish discourse for Yalte to use in the conversation.
If the PCs try to talk to both priests at the same time, Darro
will be noticeably irritated with Yalte, who will be
condescending and rude in return. If the PCs ask any
questions in front of both priests regarding Lulu or state
anything negative about the cult of Zariel, Yalte will
initiate the Zarielite Response Team immediately after
they leave Helm’s Shieldhall.
M6. Storage Room
“This room holds incense, candles, prayer books, and
wooden holy symbols of Torm used during services in the
temple.” (HT, 15)
M7. Armory
This room is locked and no one in the Shieldhall will open
it for the PCs. They will, however, explain that it contains
“an extensive range of weapons for arming the entire
Hellrider legion in the case of an assault on the city.” If the
PCs attempt to break in and/or steal any of the weapons
from the Armory, all NPCs including Reya will warn them
not to. If the party breaks in, initiate The Order of Elturel
Response Team.
M8. Feast hall
A young man in his thirties, Raemon Iscara (LG male
Turami human knight, HT 17), is setting the tables for a
feast the Hellriders are hosting for the visiting delegation
of Grand Duke Ravengard with High Observer Thavius
Kreeg this evening.
Raemon is a caretaker of the shrine who agreed to help
Usin Lao (M9) while the clergy go about their ceremony
preparation. He is “pious, humorless, and quick to anger,”
and is startled by the party’s entry, drops a plate that
shatters on the floor , which sends him into an explosive
torrent of cursing (HT, 17). When he has exhausted
himself, he apologizes and returns to setting the tables.
Raemon is very observant and has a feeling something is
amiss with Yalte, is surprised Darro hasn’t noticed, and
has noticed that a significant number of the new arrivals in
Elturel have shaven their heads. Raemon asks the PCs if
they are hungry, and if so, takes them into the kitchen
(M9) for a meal.
M9. The Kitchen
Usin Lao, a “fastidious, practical, and a battle-hardened
[Hellrider] in her forties” (LG female Shou human knight;
HT, 17 ) is preparing a feast for the delegation dinner this
evening. Usin is now the Quartermaster of the Hellriders
and is happy to feed the PCs. The meal is delicious and so
long as the party is not in a rush, eating the meal will be
rejuvenating and will constitute a short rest for the party.
21

E9. Maiden’s Bridge
DM’s Note: A map of Maiden’s Bridge and Maiden’s
Leap is provided in Chapter 3, as it is the location of the
final encounter, but it can be used on Day Two as well.
The bridge is empty at night. If the PCs visit the bridge
during the day, they find the Druid of Silvanus, Seltern
Obranch (LG non-binary gnome druid; DIA 61) with a
large box. Seltern methodically takes objects out of the
box, lifts the items high above their head and chants…
“Helm’s sight, by day and night,”
…before releasing the object which floats slowly to the
ground or river below. As the party approaches, they all
clearly see and hear Seltern do this for three objects: a
chalice, a farmer's hat, and a dagger. If the party inquires
what they are doing upon reaching Seltern, they respond,
“Oh just working on a spell that is not common to druids,
seems to be going pretty well!”
The Spell Echoes. The spell is feather fall, and
unbeknownst to Seltern, their repetition of this spell has
created a magical vortex in the area between Maiden’s
Bridge and Maiden’s Leap (E9) for the next 48 hours
which will enable anyone who repeats these words exactly
while looking at any object within 60ft, to make that object
float to the ground or river below (roll d20, even lands on
the banks, odd lands in the river). And something
important will most definitely be falling into the river…
What Seltern Knows. Upon the PC’s arrival, Seltern
stops their practice and is happy to chat. They know the
following: 1) “any true adventures should try to catch a
glimpse of Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2) each evening for
chance at self-discovery and unimaginable riches;” 2) if
any PC has a crossbow, Seltern notices and suggests that
any skilled archers should visit Hunt Quivery (E19),
“likely the best quivery on the southern Sword Coast;” 3)
“You all should consider visiting the Old Harvest Home
(E14), as it is the infamous site of the High Harvest
Slaughter (ARA, 5C-C), perpetrated by the infamous
leader of Elturel, the High Rider Ikaia, who turned out to
be a vampire. The slaughter led to the arrival of the
Companion [points to the sky above] to save Elturel from
the undead plague.”
22
Emerald Enclave. Seltern is a member of the Emerald
Enclave, and will share the following only with fellow
members: Their good friend Marisiam Rathanda, a
Hellrider and the Dockmaster of the Dragoneye Docks
(E21) has been investigating the recent murders of two
Hellriders, and sent them a message this morning that she
wanted to talk. They plan to go there after their practice
completes. Seltern is worried too, “something is certainly
off about Elturel recently.”
E10. Maiden’s Leap
As you approach Maiden’s Leap, dozens of crafts people
are hard at work finishing up erecting a massive twelve
foot high stage, in the center of the stage is an intricate
white wooden arbor and white decorations across the
Leap. This will clearly soon be the site of a massive
wedding. The stage obscures the statue of the Maiden
and the waterfalls to the north.
All the workers are Zarielites, dressed in simple brown
work clothes. They are all concerned about finishing in
time for the wedding.
What the Cultists Share. Each worker is willing to share
any two of the following: 1) this is going to be Cal and
Rhem Furrowbrow’s wedding; Rhem Furrowbrow loves
white, and hence the aesthetic; 2) the wedding will be held
at noon tomorrow (Day Three) and is invite only; 3) the
honorable Spurnyte Mal is going to be leading the
ceremony; 4) “it is bizarre that High Observer Kreeg
invited the Grand Duke of the dump Baldur’s Gate to the
fine city of Elturel. I would go to the ceremony at High
Hall (E12) later today if I didn’t have so much work, I’m
interested to hear what he will have to say.”
None of the workers have any knowledge of the full plans
(sacrifices) that will occur during the ceremony. A
successful DC 14 Perception (WIS) check notices that
roughly one in five workers have shaved heads. If asked
about their shaved heads, they will look annoyed and
comment either that it is low maintenance or will make a
witty insult about the inquiring PC’s physical appearance.
Behind the Stage
Three cult fanatics disguised as workers guard each side
of the space between the back of the stage and the
Maiden’s Leap falls (6 total). They won’t allow anyone
behind the stage. They will answer questions like any
worker, but sternly state, “no one is allowed behind the
stage because of important wedding items held there.”
In fact, underneath the stage is a ten foot diameter circular
stone ring covered with strong black leather and anchored
securely (DC 14 Athletics). If the leather cover is removed,
the center of the ring is a glowing portal down into
Avernus! This portal will be used to imbue the two
sacrifices with infernal energy during the wedding, to
hasten the fall of Elturel into Avernus. No one is currently
under the stage.
Respect the Wedding. All the workers (and Reya) warn
the PCs not to disrupt the set-up of the wedding. If the PCs
cause any problems, 10 cultists and 6 cult fanatics will
rush the party and grapple them until the Order of Elturel
arrives. Unlike the traditional Order of Elturel encounter,
however, the Hellriders who arrest the PCs say “why on
earth would assault workers setting up the wedding of
well-respected locals? Perhaps some time in jail will help
you get your wits about yourself.” Any arrested PCs are
held for three hours and fined 50gp before being released.
Upon their release they are warned “You’re not allowed at
Maiden’s Leap for the duration of your stay in Elturel, and
if you are found there, you will be immediately expelled
from the city.” If the PCs break in behind the stage, initiate
the Zarielite Response Team after their release from jail.
The Rescuing Lulu adventure reaches its explosive
conclusion here at Maiden’s Leap on Day Three in
“Chapter 3: Bad Day for a White Wedding.”
E11. Hellriders Keep
DM Note: The Hellriders Keep’s map can be found in
Carter Van Huss’ The Hellriders Keep (HK), the adventure
that inspired this location. Rescuing Lulu uses only the
ground level “Campus” map, and not the “Armory” map of
the lower level.
The Hellriders Keep has 25 ft tall stone walls and is the
most impressive embattlement in the city of Elturel. As
you approach the entrance you see an epic scene carved
into the thick oak gate and accented in wrought iron, of a
glowing angelic warrior descending into battle with a
legion of Hellriders who are facing off against a
seemingly infinite river of hellish fiends.
If Reya Mantlemorn is with the group (she should be), she
recounts the story to the PCs of the Hellriders descent with
Zariel into Avernus that she was told as a child (which is a
lie):
“Hundreds of brave Elturian soldiers followed Zariel
into Hell to destroy Yeenougu and the creatures of the
Abyss. They fought valiantly but ultimately lost their
general and narrowly escaped with their lives before the
portal closed. Their ‘valiant’ efforts led to them being
coined “Hellriders” and thus initiated a 150 year old
linage of Elturel’s most respected military force, of
which I am a proud member.”
(DIA, 7-8; for more accurate historical research, see
ARA, “A Textual History of Zariel”)
When the PCs come within 5ft of the gates, the doors open
to a view of the courtyard inside…
K1. Courtyard
Inside the gates, you walk into large courtyard made of
expertly crafted brickwork with a number of buildings on
either side, all of which collectively frame the expansive
Armory building directly ahead.
K2. Stables
The stables have fifteen stalls, all of which are filled with
horses in full military armor. Outside the stalls are two
knights in full armor holding two black tabards with red
engravings of a fist surrounded by fire (The Flaming Fist
symbol is not known by PCs if they are not from, or have
not visited, Baldur’s Gate). There are also two teenage
boys mucking the stalls with a wheelbarrow and shovels.
What the Knights Know. The two Flaming Fist knights
are guarding the stables and the Grand Duke’s horses.
They will not leave their posts at the stables for any
reason, but they will share the following to respectful
people: 1) Duke Ravengard is scheduled to be part of a
public ceremony at High Hall (E14) at midday on Day
Two; 2) they are surprised Ravengard agreed to come as
the relationship between Elturel and Baldur’s Gate has
been antagonistic for decades.
What the Teens Know. The teenage stall muckers
(commoners) are full of gossip if approached—for the
price of a gold piece each! 1) the south Gardens (E13c)
were full of strange things at night but the central gardens
(E13b) are good for daytime people watching; 2) the
mother of one boy works at the East Docks (E20), and
really hates all the weirdos who have been mulling around
there the last few days; 3) “there was a crazy person
throwing valuables off Maiden’s Bridge (E9) this morning
on the way to work, what a kook!”
23
 K3. Smith & Fletchery
Two married male dwarves—one the smith, one the
fletcher—run the shop. They will not do any work for the
PCs, but will gladly do work if Reya is with the group and
asks on behalf of the party (it’s free for Reya). It will take
one day for the work to be completed. If the PCs request
help with anything bow and arrow related, the fletcher will
also mention the famous Hunt Quivery (E20), for “I
learned my trade from the one and only Harkina Hunt.”
K4. Training Grounds
A female Hellrider in her 50s is leading four younger
Hellriders (scouts) in a series of training exercises on a
group of wooden training dummies with wooden swords
and shields. The leader is Lesheda Kalwat (LG human
female Calishite knight; HT, 17). When Lesheda sees
Reya, she tells the trainees “I want ten more sets at each
station—and you get to start over if you miss a single
strike,” before coming to embrace and welcome Reya.
Assuming the PCs stayed at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2),
Lesheda says “It's so good to see you Reya! I hear you ran
into Dalmen, Farrio and Alfons last night! What in Helm’s
name brings you back from Waterdeep so soon? Did you
find what you were looking for? Oh—I’m so rude—who
are your friends?” If the PCs have not yet been to
Phontyr’s, Lesheda tells Reya “You must go see Dalmen,
Farrio while you are here, I believe they are going to be at
Phontyr’s tonight!” If Reya is not with the PCs, Lesheda
ignores them and focuses on training the young Hellriders.
What Lesheda Shares. As long as the PCs explain
something about their situation, Lesheda shares the
following: “My fellow Hellrider Marisiam Rathanda is
very concerned something foul is afoot in light of the
recent murder of two Hellriders. You should go and see
her at the Dragoneye Docks (E23), tell her I sent you.”
K5. Troop Quarters / Reya’s Quarters
These troop quarters are more luxurious than one would
expect, as “the Hellriders are as concerned with upholding
their public image as they are with being an elite fighting
force (HK, 4a).” Each of the three dozen quarters in the
various buildings hold a bed, desk, and dresser. The walls
are decorated with a wide array of Hellrider paraphernalia.
24
Reya’s Letter
Reya has lived in these quarters for the past seven years
since coming of age. Reya wants to quickly stop by her
quarters, and the only reason she wants to do so is to
briefly touch a letter on her desk from her parents Ralof
and Zeri. Seeing her parents' letter will make Reya’s mood
change to melancholy. If any of the players inquire if she
is okay, she will share the story of her parents deaths:
“I always get sad when I see this, as it is the last letter
my parents wrote me before they went on a mission to
Baldur’s Gate. They never returned as their caravan was
ambushed and they were killed. While it was sad, I had
the good fortune that the High Observer Thavius Kreeg
raised me. He had the confidence in me to enroll me in
the Hellriders at a young age, and I worked hard and
was able to rise through the ranks quickly. Thavius is
closest thing I have to a family member, I love him
deeply… anyways, this letter is the last thing I have from
my parents, it feels like my sole connection to the past. ”
The Secret in the Letter. What Reya does not know (yet),
is that Thavius Kreeg was responsible for her parents
deaths, as Zeri was getting close to uncovering his murder
of Tamal Thent in order to become the High Observer
(ARA, 4B). Zeri’s letter hints at her suspicion, but Reya
has never noticed this clue in her sadness. Reya will not
allow any players to touch the letter unless they directly
and compassionately ask to read it. The letter remains on
this desk in perpetuity, and any PC who reads this letter
now (or after Elturel has fallen) and makes a successful
DC 17 Investigation or Insight check will notice that Zeri
seems to be trying to tell Reya that Thavius is dangerous
(HK, 4). This information will, obviously, be difficult for
Reya to hear, and she might even make a scene or
temporarily excuse herself, at the DM’s discretion.
K6. Hellrider Mess Hall & Kitchen
The head cook Luus Linden, and her assistant, Maan
Mentink are preparing the meal for the Hellriders and the
Flaming Fist knights at the stables (K2). Reya knows Luus
and Maan well and can have them feed the PCs.
K7. Armory
No one is allowed inside the Armory today—zero
exceptions—as there is heightened security with the visit
of Grand Duke Ravengard. Four Hellrider knights guard
the door and do not allow anyone, including Reya, inside.
The doors of the Armory are open. Any character who
walks up to the entrance and makes a successful DC 12
Perception (WIS) check reveals the Name Wall of the Four
Lost Hellriders who rode into hell behind Zariel: Jander
Sunstar, Olanthius, Yael and Haruman. Reya or the
stationed Hellriders will recount the false story that “these
brave individuals sacrifice inspired the troops and led to
the victory of the Hellriders.” In fact, the cowardly
Hellriders fled back to Faerûn and closed the portal behind
them doomed Zariel and these four to face the legions of
the Abyss alone, and ultimately, to be forced to surrender.
E12. Symbril’s House

A small and cozy inn that looks like many of its

neighboring buildings, is today bustling with frenetic
activity. Half a dozen people are spread across the front
yard talking and laughing, a small table is set up near the
front porch with a few people lined up in front of it , and
through the windows you can see many more people
milling about inside the inn.

All guests at the inn are Zarielites. Talking with any cultist
is always strange, and they all have a “holier-than-thou”
attitude with any non-cultist they talk to.

Talking to Cultists. If the PCs attempt to talk to anyone in

front of the house they meet the sixty something couple
Solfrey and Gretchen (LE female Illuskan cultists; HT,
27), who are also Lora from the Owlbear Butcher Shop’s
(E6) best friends, and the women definitely suggest the
PCs go there next time they are hungry. Consult
“Appendix II: Zarielite Stronghold Clues” for a wide array
of lines of eccentric conversation for use in talking to
Solfrey and Gretchen, or any cultist, for that matter.

Eavesdropping. Any PC making a successful DC 13 The Tattoo Table

Perception (WIS) check while at Symbril’s House notices
that nearly a quarter of all the guests have shaved heads.
Discussions with any of the cultists and/or eavesdropping
with a Passive Perception of 12 on any other cultists on the
property will lead the PCs to overhear excited talk about
the wedding at Maiden’s Leap tomorrow (Day Three) and
plans to go help out with preparations at the East Docks
today.
Get Your Wings. A successful DC 15 Perception (WIS)
check will overhear a cultist telling a recently arrived
couple to “make sure you go to the table to get your
wings,” but no cultist questioned about this will explain
what it means. Any mention of Lulu or altercations with
cultists while at Symbril’s House will initiate the Zarielite
Response Team after the PCs leave.
Front Desk Information. The Inn has no vacancy and the
two halflings running the front desk (who are the only non-
cultists on the premises) are flustered with the inordinate
amount of business they have been getting in the past
tenday. A successful DC 16 Persuasion (CHA) check leads
the workers to divulge—if none of the guests are in the
lobby, which is rare at this time—that “all these people
seem to know each other and are, if I may be frank, a
batshit crazy group of assholes.”
The table near the front porch has one large male cultist
standing with his arms crossed in an imposing posture, and
he has a clipboard with a list of all the Zarielites attending
the wedding. He questions each cultist in line about their
name and city of origin, before letting them pass to the two
female cultists leaning forward and doing something, but
obscured from view by the table cloth and waiting cultists
behind them. The women are drawing black henna tattoos
of a pair of wings on all the cultists’ inner right wrists—
this is the symbol that will be required for all cultists to get
their wedding attire and to be allowed on the grounds for
the wedding.
The Women’s Work. The PCs cannot deceive the cultist
with the clipboard unless they have gathered the names
and cities of cultists to impersonate, which would be
difficult considering the cultists aren’t afraid of dying. Any
creative means of gaining this information should be a
difficult skill check of the DM’s choosing. What the PCs
can do, however, climb up on the porch and stealthily look
over from above. This requires either a DC 15 Perception
or a DC 16 Stealth check to covertly see that the women
are drawing black wings on the inner right wrist of the
people who come behind the table. Any PCs who make
this skill check can successfully forge these tattoos if they
find the correct tools to do so (ink and quill).

25
 Amrik Vanthampur
Soon after the PCs arrival, there is a commotion amongst
all the guests, who chatter excitedly and begin moving
towards a group of three approaching from the Garden: the
charismatic Amrik Vanthampur (DIA 30-31) and his two
bodyguards, the cloaked and hooded Kasharra (spined
devil) and muscular Vhaltus (thug) (DIA, 31). Amrik
joined Duke Ravengard’s delegation from Baldur’s Gate at
the demand of his mother, Thalamra, and Ravengard is
none too happy about it. Amrik has left the delegation
briefly to come see all Zarielites and to have a meeting in
the back of Symbril’s house to be updated on the plans for
tomorrow’s wedding and sacrifices.
Amrik’s Offer. Amrik approaches the PCs and, with great
panache, says “Welcome to Elturel, my name is Amrik and
I am curious if there is anything that you might be needing.
I am sure I might be able to procure for you anything your
heart desires.” Noticing that the PCs are the only non-
Zarielites on the grounds, Amrik is always looking for the
chance to get another soul for Zariel. He will ask any
interested PC to come into the house with him to make a
deal. He will only talk to one person at a time—“I simply
prefer to offer personalized service to all my clients.”
Amrik will offer anything so long as the person is willing
to sign a contract with no outright demands of the player.
If no PCs are interested, he bids them well and goes into
the house to start a meeting.
Any player who comes inside to discuss the contract will
observe one of the guests stop Amrik in the hall and ask
him “Will I be seeing you in the meeting in 15 minutes?”
to which Amrik responds, “Yes, but I have some business
to attend to first.” Amrik will then take the player into a
private room with a fine mahogany desk, and will shut the
door. The infernal contract he pulls out of his murse takes
ten minutes to read closely. A DC 13 Insight (WIS) check
reveals on the second to last page that the price of this deal
is the person’s soul “to her winged highness” at the time of
their death. Nowhere on the contract does it say Zariel, but
Amrik will promise to tell the player her name if they sign
(and he will). If the player reads the contract and refuses to
sign, Amrik will bid them adieu with no small amount of
irritation, and he will be very suspicious of the group from
that point forward.
Zarielite Leadership Meeting
Due to the large number of cultists milling about, any
attempt to eavesdrop on the meeting (which the PCs will
not know is happening unless they went to sign an infernal
contract with Amrik) will be very difficult. Inside the
house, a successful DC 18 Stealth (DEX) check will
enable the PCs to sneak into the empty room across from
the meeting to eavesdrop; doing so from outside the house
can be done with a more difficult DC 20 Stealth (DEX)
check to account for both successfully sneaking into the
bushes behind the house without being seen, and then
opening the window a crack without anyone noticing.
Failure on any of these checks will initiate the Zarielite
Response Team after the party leaves Symbril’s.
26
What You Overhear. Any PC who completes these
checks and overhears this meeting will learn that “the
permits were approved to close both Maiden’s Bridge (E9)
and Maiden’s Leap (E10) for the wedding so that only
“members” can attend” (they will never speak Zariel’s
name or call themselves “cultists” during the meeting), that
“all members need to get a black henna wing tattoo and to
get proper attire in order to be allowed into the wedding,”
and lastly, a mysterious comment “are we sure that we
have the stage area ready for the ritual?” This is a
reference to what is going to be happening below the stage,
see “L3. Below the Stage” in Chapter 3.
E13. The Gardens (a-c)
The Gardens are a massive park that bisect Elturel and
stretch from Maiden’s Leap (E10) on the north side of the
city all the way down to High Hall (E14) to the south. For
this adventure, there are three parts of the Gardens the PCs
can explore: the rocky, hilled North Gardens (E13a); the
grassy open field of the Central Gardens (E13b); and the
heavily forested South Gardens (E13c).
E13a. North Gardens
Three local teenagers are perched atop a tall rock
outcropping on the east side of the park and are visible
with a Passive Perception of 12. The group has been
looking over top of the Hellriders Keep (E11) to the
preparation of the wedding all day long while smoking
almondberry cush in a pipe, which has got them laughing,
energetic and talkative.
The teens will only talk to a PC who climbs (5.7) up the
rocks (DC 15 Acrobatics (DEX) check—1d12
bludgeoning damage on a failure. For anyone who gets up
to the perch, the teens share that 1) “we are going to go
and try to chase the Unicorn tonight!” If the PCs ask
where, they respond “um, where the only Unicorn in the
city is, you idiots!” They laugh heartily and won’t say
anything more; 2) “screw all the ‘baldies’ taking over the
city and now having the audacity to take over the entire
Maiden’s Leap?!?! I sure wish someone brave like
Ontharr Frume would chop their bald little heads off!”
This comment causes the whole group to begin laughing
hysterically and no amount of persuasion can get them to
stop. The PCs must downclimb off the rocks with an
identical skill check, this time with advantage.
E13b. Central Gardens
The central section of the Gardens is a massive flat and
open field. As the PCs cross the Central Gardens, there are
about a dozen small groups sitting on the grass sunbathing,
reading and having picnics (there is also a shirtless
dragonborn male and a female tiefling in a leather bikini
throwing a glowing frisbee).
The Agitated Couple. A DC 13 Perception (WIS) check
notices that one group has a dwarf cis woman clearly
agitated and talking in a raised voice with a trans gnome
male (they/them) (commoners) on one of the blankets. If
the PCs approach these two, they hear the woman saying
“I really want to go back, it’s been too long!” To which into different animals and/or invisible and fleeing into the
the gnome responds, “We’ve only been out here for ten forest, and as they disappear, the PCs hear:
minutes, don’t worry, we will be back soon enough, but
let’s just enjoy our break,” to which she immediately
Oh the fun to come, Oh the glorious fall, You are too
retorts, “I can’t enjoy anything with him, I need to get
late, she will take the souls of all!
back, let’s go, LET’S GO!” This final outburst leads the
gnome to stand up as the group finally arrives and this is
the first time either notices the PCs.

If engaged in conversation, they say “we’re done with our

break and going back to work.” If the PCs note their
argument, both are embarrassed, and say “Pardon our silly
bickering. We work at the Old Harvest Home. I am the
assistant to the Elturgard representative from Triel, and
my friend here assists the representative from Fort
Morninglord. I am afraid it is time to get back to work.” If
the PCs mention the name of High Rider Ikaia, the blood
rushes out of both of their faces and they become rigid. If
any threats are made towards the High Rider, they both
swarm the player, grapple them to the ground and attempt
to strangle them (they do not fight, and will calm down
upon being pulled off, before departing back to work). If,
however, a valid reason is given to see the High Rider
(Lulu is a valid reason), they will invite the party to come E14. High Hall
with them to Old Harvest House (see E16; “Basement”).
DM Note: For more details and maps of High Hall, asee
DIA, 58-62. All quotations are from these pages.

E13c. South Gardens
If the PCs walk through the heavily forested South Garden,
after ten minutes and a successful DC 14 Nature (INT)
check, they hear the faint sound of talking near some
boulders at the south edge of the forest overlooking High
Hall. A successful DC 14 Stealth (DEX) approach sneaks
up to the back of the rocks and reveals three short robbed
and hooded figures talking excitedly:
“I can’t wait til the Duke falls Brother Aamon!”
“Yes, but I am more excited for the failure of the
illusionist, which will be our success Brother Abaddon!”
“Indeed, all these things are great but I want to see the
blood of the flying fatty, Brother Achyls!”
Failure on stealthily approaching leads to the PCs not
hearing this, but regardless, upon their discovery, the
infamous imp brothers, Brother Aamon, Brother Abaddon,
and Brother Achyls (who seem to be everywhere in
Elturel—see E14; E20; E24) engage in either one round of
discussion (always referring to themselves or each other as
“Brother”) or one round of combat before transforming
For this adventure, only the Cathedral and Choir levels are
used (see DIA, 61 for maps) and serve as the sites of the
public ceremony to welcome the delegation of Grand
Duke Ulder Ravengard from Baldur’s Gate for their first
(and previously, historically unknown) diplomatic visit to
better relations with Elturel. So long as the PCs arrive prior
to the late afternoon on Day Two of this adventure, the
public ceremony begins as they arrive. If they arrive later,
it is at the DM’s discretion if they catch the public
ceremony or if the diplomatic party has already left for
their tour of the Hellrider’s Keep (E11) or are at their final
stop at Helm’s Shieldhall (E8) for their private dinner.
As the majestic High Hall comes into view, there are
hundreds of people gathered outside, talking excitedly.
Tall poles on each side of the entrance are each flying
two tabards: a blue tabard featuring white engravings of
a large circle overlaid on its upper left side with a smaller
circle with 12 rays emanating out from it, and a black
tabard with red engravings of a fist surrounded by fire.
Bells ring as you approach and the crowds cheer and
begin moving inside.
The blue tabard is Elturel’s and is flying all over the city,
so the PCs would likely recognize it. The red one is the
Flaming Fist of Baldur’s Gate’s tabard, and the PCs would
only recognize it from the Hellriders Keep Stables (E11;
K2) or if any players are from Baldur’s Gate.

27
 H1. Hall of Heroes
“At the top of the stairs, an archway opens into a long
hall containing eight columns,” each of which are carved
into different representations of Torm, god of Courage
and Self-Sacrifice, and his symbol of a white right
gauntlet (DIA, 60).
The Hall of Heroes is filled with the crowd looking to get
inside to watch the ceremony. Movement is halved as a
result of the throngs of people.
H2. Grand Foyer
Two minutes after the PCs make their way into the
standing-room-only Grand Foyer, the historic public
ceremony begins. Push play on Richard Wagner’s “Entry
of the Gods into Valhalla” before reading the following:
As you enter the Grand Foyer a pipe organ on the Choral
mezzanine above the stage begins to play a portent
melody that silences the crowd. The Priest of Helm,
dressed in blue robes, climbs to the lectern situated
centerstage. Upon the priest’s arrival, a ceremonial
procession begins with blue tabard bearers climbing
stage left with a delegation of a dozen dignitaries and
high ranking soldiers which culminates with the arrival
of the ostentatiously dressed High Observer of Elturel.
They are followed by red tabard bearers who climb stage
right with a half dozen soldiers, a lone man dressed in all
black, and led by a stunningly charismatic black man
adorned in magnificent plate armor intricately carved
with the symbol of a flaming fist. As both processions
seat themselves, the music crescendos, then suddenly
halts, reverberating a powerful silence through the hall.
[Silence the song]
After an intentional pause to let the importance of this
ceremony sink in, the Priest of Helm begins:
In the name of Helm, the Vigilant One and our Watcher,
we acknowledge this historic day for all the peoples of
the Chionthar River valley, and we gather to welcome
his eminence, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, leader of
the Flaming Fist of Baldur’s Gate, on the first visit of
anyone in his office, in a generation, to the city of
Elturel. We salute also our protector, he who hath
brought the holy Companion to watch over us and
protect us and banish the long dark nights of yore, the
High Observer of Elturel, the honorable Thavius Kreeg.
In Helm’s name we pray that this day come to mark a
new chapter of cooperation and comradery between our
two great cities… It is now my honor to invite to the
podium, the High Observer of Elturel, Thavius Kreeg.
[cheers from the audience]
28
The Priest of Helm leaves the lectern, and nods
respectfully as he passes the flamboyantly dressed High
Observer, Thavius Kreeg, who maintains a disturbingly
exaggerated smile throughout the following speech:
Thank you holy Priest of Helm, may his holiness protect
the pact of this historic day. I welcome you citizens of
Elturel, people of the Chionthar River valley, but most of
all, Grand Duke Ravengard. For too long our cities have
spurned one another, for too long have we cast a wary
eye and spoken poorly about our sisters and brothers
down the river; but alas, today marks the beginning of
the end of such regional animosity. With the raising of
the tabards of both our cities in front of High Hall today,
let us raise also our heads and our hearts to the heavens
and invite Helm to join us in our commitment to peace,
trade, and prosperity from this day forward. By the light
of the holy Companion, I commit the city of Elturel to
forever host the people of Baldur’s Gate and their brave
leader, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard!”
[cheers from the audience]
Thavius smiles and waves for ten seconds too long, then
turns to return to his contingent. As he passes Ulder
Ravengard, he does an awkward bowing gesture that the
Grand Duke ignores and continues walking confidently
towards the lectern. Upon reaching the lecture, he puts his
hands on its sides and scans the crowds slowly from left to
right with a strong gaze. Many members of the crowd will
later recount to their friends, “He looked me right in the
eyes before he started, I swear it!” He begins:
In the name of Helm, and with great appreciation to the
citizens of Elturel and to High Observer Kreeg, thank
you for this invitation to your city. I must admit that I
never thought this day would come, and while I hold out
hope of a brighter tomorrow for the relations of our city,
I would be speaking in only half truths if I told you that
the road ahead will be easy. My city has long stolen
trade from Elturian ships, we have had rebel bands of
lawless marauders pillage the countryside between our
cities; while concurrently, Elturians have undermined my
city’s political standing in the region and broken treaties
with disturbing impunity. Each of our cities holds an
ample share of this blame. Unfortunately, none who
stand here today can claim the high ground in a regional
struggle that for too long has brough out the basest of all
of our natures… [Ravengard pauses; uncomfortable
silence; Kreeg visibly tense] But I do share Overseer
Kreeg’s hope, if a bit more cautiously, that today may
mark a changing of the guard, a boon for both our
houses, a beginning of a prosperity that begins with the
humility of powerful people to set aside past wrongs and
forge a new path, collaboratively. I look forward to
touring Elturel and beginning conversations for a better
tomorrow. Let us raise our heads and open our hearts to
the god whom both our city’s respect, in the name of
Helm, let us begin a new chapter today!
[thunderous applause from the crowd]
Press play on Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”
The organ begins to play and each delegation walks off the
stage. The gathered masses begin discussing the ceremony
enthusiastically, with many Elturian’s very impressed by
the articulate and passionate oration of the Grand Duke.
H3. Central Altar
For ten minutes after the ceremony, both city’s delegations
gather behind the stage but in front of the central altar and
are intermingling and talking, surrounded by guards. Any
attempts to get into this gathering must do two things: the
player must offer a compelling reason to enter the
procession (at DM’s discretion) AND successfully make a
DC 16 Persuasion (CHA) or DC 19 Deception (CHA)
check with the leader of the guards. On the north side
(bordering northern H4) is Hellrider Major General Qirth
Staedfall (LG male human knight; HK, 1), and on the
south side (bordering southern H4) is Colonel Estra
Felder (LG female human knight; HT, 14). If Reya
Mantlemorn joins the PC attempting to get in, two
Persuasion rolls can be made, both with advantage.
Thavius Kreeg is talking with the man dressed all in black
from Duke Ravengard’s procession, Amrik Vanthampur
(see DIA, 30 for stat block), both of whom are Zarielites.
While alone, Vanthampur continues to talk in a not-too-
covert manner about the “great future of Elturel,” “the
beginning, and end, of a pact,” “the power we will soon
have” and other such untimely comments. Kreeg cuts off
Vanthampur regularly, however, his own vanity (and
excitement) keeps him from silencing Vanthampur’s
vanity. While Duke Ravengard cannot hear this discussion,
his utter disdain for Vanthampur makes him increasingly
uncomfortable with the two of them talking for so long.
Thavius Kreeg is keen to talk to the PCs, as he does not
recognize them, and will ask them their reason for visiting
Elturel. Any comments or questions about the cult of
Zariel to Kreeg will lead to the groups expulsion from the
delegation and the rapid deployment of the Zarielite
Response Team after the party leaves High Hall.
Ravengard. If the PCs manage to get into this delegation
gathering, Duke Ravengard is happy to chat with them so
long as they are not needy—which will lead to his guards
expelling them. If they are interesting and engaging, he
will invite them to reach out if they ever visit Baldur’s
Gate.
Amrik Vanthampur’s engagement with the party will be
hospitable but cocky if he has not yet met them, and he
will invite them to come visit him at the Low Lantern in
Baldur’s Gate. If the PCs have already encountered him at
the Old Harvest Home (E16), his demeanor will be wholly
based on how that encounter went. He will not engage in
any violence while with the delegation.
After ten minutes have passed, the whole procession will
walk around the west side of the Altar, the hand on the
altar will open in view of anyone behind the stage, and the
procession will disappear. If any PCs are at the Altar of
Torm (H6) or up on the Choir Level (H7-H9), they will see
the delegations depart through the secret door. Once the
delegations have departed, the secret door closes and the
Central Altar will reopen to the public (see DIA, 60-61).
H4. Private Chapels
Both of these areas open to the public after the ceremony
has ended. Guards block access to the Central Altar for the
ten minutes after the ceremony when the processions are
still talking behind the stage. When the procession departs,
the guards disperse and the Central Altar is reopened.
H5. Stairs to Residences
Three Order of the Companion knights guard each of the
stairwells under the order of Thavius Kreeg. They permit
no one to ascend the stairs, although they do not know
why, if questioned. The three infamous brother imps
playing the Pipe Organ are the reason (see H7).
H6. Altar of Torm
This chapel holds a beautiful marble altar to Torm, the
god of duty, loyalty, righteousness and law. Sitting in the
center of the altar, and illuminated by captivatingly
angelic light source is a massive and ancient book. A
woman dressed in ornate robes stands near the altar and
is talking to two Elturian citizens who seem to be
engaged in a ceremony of some sort.
The Creed Resolute. All Order of Elturel soldiers and
patriotic citizens of Elturel (which is most citizens), when
they are old enough to read, visit High Hall and place their
hand on the of the Tome of the Creed Resolute and recite
this oath, then prick their finger with a needle and place
their blood-mark on the cover, which magically inscribes
their name in the tome as a signature. The importance of
the oath is pervasive and even those “who haven’t sworn
the oath to uphold the Creed Resolute will often say things
like ‘recall the Creed.’” (DIA, 64; ARA, 4B).
The woman is Pherria Jynks (LG female elf acolyte;
DIA, 64), the book is the Tome of the Creed Resolute,
and she is currently having the young child, who is
accompanied by her father, recite the oath written on its
first page of the Tome:
29

I solemnly pledge my soul and blood and blade to serve
as a knight of Elturel and share the Oath of the High
Observer in honoring the Gift of the Companion. I shall
guard the realm of Elturgard and all those lands which
lie under Elturel’s Shield, upholding the laws of
Elturgard and the commands of the High Observer. I
shall live my life in strict accord to the Creed Resolute,
placing it and this oath above all other doctrines. I shall
be bound to all others who swear this oath, declaring
them now and forevermore, whether in life or beyond the
veil of death, to be my [companions] in arms. To ensure
the perfect harmony of our [comradeship], I shall permit
no difference in faith to come between us, but rather hold
the Companion, which I shall never attribute to one god
or another, as our common star. (ARA, 4B)
Upon completing the oath with the young girl, Pherria is
happy to talk to anyone about Torm, the altar, the Creed
Resolute and/or to offer to guide anyone interested in
taking the oath through the process. If any of the PCs talk
to Pherria for more than a minute, she will share that her
study of Torm has led her to specialize in exorcism and
possession (DIA, 71), a fact that will be quite useful after
the fall of Elturel…
H7. Pipe Organ
Situated atop this balcony is a magnificent pipe organ”
with a luminescent keyboard. Flying six inches above the
seat and playing the keys are three imps!
30
These three imps are the brothers Brother Aamon, Brother
Abaddon, and Brother Achyls (who seem to be everywhere
in Elturel—see E13; E20; E24). They will depart at the
conclusion of the ceremony (via invisibility), but if
discovered beforehand, they will all engage in one round
of discussion with the PCs (always referring to each other
as “Brother”) before transforming into different animals
and/or invisible and fleeing the Choir Level, and as they
disappear/depart the PCs hear:
Oh the fun to come, Oh the glorious fall, You are too
late, she will take the souls of all!
E15. Western Switchback
To reach the High District from Westerly, you have to take
a switchback road up the western face of the tor (ARA,
5C-C). If the PCs take this route, they see about a dozen
people on their walk up the switchback.
The Paranoid Satyr. Roll a d4 and have one player guess
the roll. If they guess successfully, they see a bewildered
male Satyr about sixty feet away running towards them
and looking over his shoulder, obviously scared. If they
chose to talk to him to ask what is wrong, he blurts out “if
you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from
Maiden’s Leap tomorrow!” (Day Three)
Upon stating this out loud, he realizes someone might have
heard, and the terror in his face increases and he again
looks in both directions, deeply paranoid. If the party asks
him why, he asks them all to take off their hats/helmets.
He wants to inspect if any of them are bald. If any of them
are bald, he screams and dashes away in terror. If not, he
asks them “are you with the baldies?!?” and one (and only
one) character must succeed a DC 12 Persuasion (CHA)
check to convince him they are not, or he runs away.
What the Satyr Knows. If successful, he shares:
“I’m a florist and when I dropped off an order at the
wedding stage near the falls, I caught a glimpse of
something glowing under the stage. While they were
getting me a receipt I glanced under the curtain
surrounding the stage and saw a glowing portal that
seemed to go down forever…and there were…monsters
down there!”
Then, he (mistakenly) thinks someone’s looking at him
and dashes off. This is the least notable location in Elturel,
and this is arguably the single most powerful piece of
information in this entire adventure. As such, run this
encounter if—and only if—the PCs actually succeed on
guessing the roll and passing the skill checks. Sometimes,
fate will find you at the most unexpected of places.
E16. Old Harvest Home
As you approach Old Harvest Home, you see a massive
memorial in the plaza in front of the building with
hundreds of white ash colored statues of all sizes. A
plaque at the edge of the memorial reads: “To the
hundreds of brave Elturians who worshiped Chauntea
but were the victims of the undead hordes who were only
defeated after the holy Companion came to protect us
all. Never forget!”
1st Floor: City Representative Offices
Upon entering the building, a welcome desk with an
erudite, spectacled female gnome named Lucia Griffel
welcomes the PCs and asks, “How can I help you today?”
If asked, she informs the players that this level has the
offices of the representatives of all the other cities in
Elturgard, that upstairs is lodging for visiting dignitaries,
and that all the work rooms of the representatives
assistants are in the basement.
The cities with Elturgard representative offices on this
level are Boareskyr Bridge, Hardbuckler, Fort
Morninglord, Triel, Scronubel and Berdusk. In order to
meet with any of the representatives, a player must offer
knowledge of something specific to that city. If they do,
Lucia asks them to wait and is able to get them a meeting
1d20 minutes later.
Elturgard Representatives. All the representatives, with
their own political and geographic twists, offer a similar
story: trade and communication with Elturel in the past six
months has grown increasingly unreliable and often
borders on disrespectful. Two specific comments are: 1)
“If this doesn’t get turned around soon, the foundation of
Elturgard may very well begin to crack, if it hasn’t
already;” 2) “If the High Observer (Kreeg) doesn’t make
his duties to all the cities of Elturgard a priority soon, well
let’s just say [our city] might just have to start advocating
for a new Overseer, but let’s keep that between us, okay?”
Basement: Assistants Work Room
This level appears like any other administrative work
room: parchment, quills, bookcases filled with texts
relating to the region, taxes, laws and other such
bureaucratic whatnot. At first, the six assistants
(commoners) who work down here also appear to be
normal worker bees…but if the players strike up
conversation with any of them, things get weird quickly.
All of the assistants appear very distracted, have a hard
time keeping focused on the conversation with people they
don’t know, and have a kind of “glazed over” look about
them, almost as if they are not fully in control of their own
faculties. None of the representatives or dignitaries on the
higher floors ever notice this, as they just assume this is
what working class people are always like.
The reason for this stupor is, however, highly uncommon:
all of these assistants are under the powerful sway of the
High Rider Ikaia, (CN, male vampire lord; ARA, 4B &
5C) who lives in the Maze directly below this level of the
Old Harvest Home. All of the workers on this level now
consider themselves the “sons” and “daughters” of Ikaia—
his followers and lovers—and are unfailingly loyal to him.
They wait patiently for the day that the Companion is
destroyed so that their lord might emerge from the Maze,
turn them all to vampires, and once again rule the city of
Elturel. For the time being, however, they bide their time,
do his bidding aboveground and at least one of them
descends through a secret door behind a bookshelf in the
room to stay with him each night.
Secret Door
A successful DC 20 Perception (WIS) check discovers the
secret door, but the assistants will not allow anyone to go
down without them, and will swarm anyone attempting to
do so, the racket of which will cause Lucia Griffel upstairs
to alert the Order of the Companion Response Team. If the
PCs speak the name of High Rider Ikaia, the entire room
freezes and becomes painfully silent. The assistants are all
on high alert, and will swarm the PCs if any threats are
made. If, however, the PCs offer a valid motive for
wanting to meet him (Lulu is valid), and pass a DC 16
Persuasion (CHA) check, two assistants will open the
secret door (the other four watching the stairs to ensure no
one is coming) and escort them to the High Rider. If the
PCs have ulterior motives, the check is done at
disadvantage. If escorted to meet Ikaia, read the following:
After walking through a dark passageway, you emerge
into a breathtaking cavern with lights hanging from the
tips of dozens of stalactites. Most of the curved wall of
the cavern is covered with tall bookshelves on either side
of a large mahogany desk. A lone figure is seated at the
desk, and as you enter he rises and as he approaches you
note pale but well-dressed and charismatic older man
who says, with a smile, “for having been in Elturel for
such a short time, your party sure is making a lot of
noise. I am impressed you have found me for this is not
the last time we shall meet. But I’m getting ahead of
myself, how might I help you this time?”
31
 What the High Rider Knows: Ikaia wants only one
assurance from the party: that the next time they meet, that
they will not interfere with him and his sons and daughters.
He will not give more information and if the party agrees,
any attempts to thwart him and his followers after the fall
of Elturel will be done at disadvantage. Assuming they
agree, he will offer only two of the following, depending
upon the PCs inquiry: 1) the cult of Zariel have slowly
descended on the city in the past three months and are
clearly planning something; 2) Spurnyte Mal is a
dangerous man and is involved in some way with the
cultists, perhaps their leader; 3) there has been a good deal
of commotion in the Maze near the East Docs (E20) earlier
in the tenday, but now most of the activity in the Maze is
occurring near Maiden’s Leap (E10); Ontharr Frume and
Marisiam Rathanda are respectable leaders on the surface
that should be sought out, they are best found at A Pair of
Black Antlers (E18) and Dragoneye Dock House (E24),
respectively.

Ikaia will warn against any attempt to find Lulu in the

Maze, and he is unwilling to help as he has more pressing
matters to attend to. Any attempt to search the maze
without him results in stumbling around in darkness for
1d20 turns before circling back into this cavern again.

E17. Torm’s Bridges

Torm’s Reach (North)

Torm’s Blade (South)
The two Torm’s bridges are the two main ways to cross
from the west to the east side of Elturel, (Western
Switchback, E15, is the only other). As the PCs cross the
bridge for the first time, there is a group of what appear to
be tourists begin led by a tour guide.
Passive Perception of 10 leads the PCs to overhear the tour
guide say, “during the dark times when the undead nearly
overtook Elturel, the young Opallita the Devout who
resides at the Grand Cemetery inscribed Holy Runes on
each of these bridges that enabled someone saying a
prayers to Torm while touching the bridge to smite any
fiend or undead on the bridge. Opallita’s heroic effort
helped to slow the invaders enough to enable the city
leaders to call forth the Companion and send all the
monsters back to hell for once and for all!”
If the PCs hear this information, they are not reminded of
it when they return to Elturel after the fall to Avernus
(DIA, 58), and must remember if they are to activate the
bridge’s power at that time.
E18.
A Pair of Black Antlers
This infamous tavern is located on Maidensbridge Street,
just south of where it swinges westward to cross Torm’s
Bridge (VSC, 96; HT, 5-10).
The most infamous tavern in Elturel doesn’t disappoint.
As you approach, multiple groups of intoxicated revelers
are outside smoking pipes and watching a dwarf latched
onto the neck of a barbarian who is spinning in circles
screaming and attempting to free himself.
Inside, you discover an equally rowdy bar scene with
nearly every table populated with patrons yelling over
each other in order to be heard. As your eyes adjust to
the disturbingly smoky interior, you see them: a
breathtakingly massive pair of black antlers on the far
wall that must be over 30ft from tip to tip!

32
A1. The Main Bar
The PCs must talk to at least three different groups or
individuals in the Main Bar before being told, by their
third conversant, that Ontharr Frume is in the Meeting
Room (A2).
The bartender, a genderless Tiefling named Nölke Nes,
has a quick wit, crude demeanor and a love for
inappropriate jokes. They don’t know where anyone is—
"the bar is bloody busy, can’t you see?!?” If a PC makes
the Nölke laugh, they share that the antlers are rumored to
be the rack of Baphomet’s illegitimate offspring …
Morrale the Beerholder. Soon after entering the tavern,
have PCs who have previously seen any kind of beholder
roll Perception (WIS). The PC with the highest role is
frightened as they spot one flying back by the fireplace!
Soon thereafter, Pilster Pebblechuck (T2) taps on the
shoulder of the nearest PC and explains,
“Worry not, for you are mistaken that the creature is a
beholder. While it may have been at one time, years of
unrelenting drinking have transformed it into a crass,
mostly harmless but beloved server here at Elturel’s
most infamous tavern. His name is Morrale the
Beerholder! He can get you an ale, but make sure you tip
him!”
Morrale is a continually intoxicated (two of his four
eyestalks hold the ales he is drinking, the other two he uses
to, begrudgingly, deliver ale to patrons) and talks a good
deal of trash, albeit with a humorous disposition. If
Morrale, is not tipped, he freezes and stares down the
patron with all five eyes for 10 seconds (and all the locals
go quiet)…if he is not tipped by then, he a screams “You
cheap bastards!” and attacks with one of his eye rays (roll
a d4 to determine which). The locals will not allow the
PCs to retaliate, with someone shouting “that’ll teach you
to be stingy you cheap-asses!” From that point forward,
locals will be hesitant to talk, and all PC skill checks and
actions in the tavern are done at disadvantage.
T1. Table One
Seated here is Strovin Ironfist and Kartra Boulderstern
(LG, dwarf commoners, DIA 55), both of whom are
sobbing over their beer. They share that as devout
followers Torm, they are devastated that Opallita the
Devout is near death. A successful DC 12 Religion (INT)
check illustrates the PCs genuine sadness, leading the
dwarfs to share that she is being cared for by Gideon
Lightward in the Grand Cemetery where she worked her
whole life to create an extradimensional portal to
communicate with Torm (DIA 65; G12). Upon relaying
this, they begin sobbing about “[sob] the impermanence of
everything [sob],” and cannot be consoled. They continue
sobbing for the duration of the PCs visit.
33
 T2. Table Two
Pilster and Merrywile Pebblechuck (LG, halflings; DIA
55), a cheerful and warmhearted couple, are at the second
table. If engaged, they pridefully talk about their family
business, Pebblechuck Bakers in Shiarra’s Market (E21),
after which they realize that they should probably be
getting back “to check on our children Aldegonda, Adele
and Albina.” If , and only if asked directly, will the
Pebblechuck’s relay that “while Orin Ragron is a very
talented blacksmith, we keep our family away from his
shop…”
T3. Table Three
The battle-hardened Hellrider Usin Lao (LG female Shou
human knight; HT, 17 ) is seated with another Hellrider at
the third table, “catching a quick mug of the delicious
Stoutfellow Sangria from Waterdeep before heading out to
High Hall (E14) to see the Grand Duke of Baldur’s Gate
speaking in Elturel for the first time ever this afternoon!”
If the PCs have already met Usin, she tells them that “soon
after you left, Yalte just disappeared, and Darro is
furious!” Stoutfellow Sangria is very rare this far south,
and thus 5gp per mug.
T4. Table Four
Three quiet individuals in red and gold cloaks are seated
here, one of which has the hood pulled back to reveal a
shaved head. These three are all cultists of Zariel, and
while no one knows their allegiance (except Lephit), the
locals assume they are part of the influx of rude new
arrivals. While the cultists will gladly talk to the PCs and
share cultist knowledge, talking to them leads to all the
surrounding tables looking disapprovingly at the PCs. If
the PCs engage in a full conversation with the cultists, it
now takes talking to four locals to locate Ontharr Frume,
and all skill checks after talking to the cultists are done at
disadvantage. If, however, the PCs insult the cultists, they
gain advantage for the duration of their stay in the tavern.
Any accosting of the cultists triggers the Zarielite
Response Team, while insults alone will not.
T5. Table Five
Seated at table five near the fireplace, is Lephit Ezim (CG
female human mage; HT, 9). When the first PC magic user
is within 10ft of Lephit, they notice that she has in the
palm of her hand a six inch flame. The PC who notices
will see creatures in the flame that mesmerize—bordering
on charming—them. Lephit is eccentric but kind and is
very excited about the new flame spell she is working on,
so excited in fact, that she plans to go home soon to try it
out in the arcane practice room in her house.
What Lephit Knows. If greeted kindly, Lephit shares
some of the following with magic users only: 1) Iolanthe at
the Tower of Bèr Nölmein’s brother Wembra is in danger
(E7); 2) Lorimir Rathanda, the husband of the Dockmaster
at the Dragoneye Docks (E23) is a good friends of hers and
they are “kind of the upstart mages in Elturel,” she says
with a good dose of pride; 3) “Lorimir and I have noticed
strange energy signatures recently coming from the East
Docks (E20)”.
34
T6. The Infamous Table Six
Located by the staircase, this table has three locals: an
Incubus named Hoebaer, a purple Vulture woman named
Kerstina, and a Tabaxi Tigerfolk named Pitter. Table six
is infamous because these three are always here. Literally
no one, including Nölke Nes, has been at A Pair of Black
Antlers and not seen these three at Table Six, ever.
Additionally, they are always arguing, loudly. Today, they
are engaged in a heated debate about the infamous
slaughter at the High Harvest House. It is the opinion of
Pitter that the slaughter was a cover-up aimed at
deteriorating Elturel’s sovereignty, while Kerstina is
convinced that the High Rider Ikaia is still alive. Hoebaer
thinks they are both idiots, because obviously Elturel is
about to fall into Avernus very soon (the advantages of
having infernal contacts!), so who cares? But he keeps
these opinions to himself, today. If your party makes a
second visit, the argument these three are having is at the
DM’s discretion. Make it wild.
A half-orc bouncer is standing by the stairs going to the
second floor and does not allow anyone upstairs who is not
an employee or renting one of the apartments. Any attempt
to pass the bouncer results in the character(s) doing so
being kicked out, and another bouncer arriving from
upstairs to cover the stairs until the first bouncer returns.
THE Pair of Black Antlers
If the PCs seek to measure the antlers and succeed on a DC
12 History (INT) check, they discover two things: 1) the
Antlers are a combined 22.5 feet from tip to tip, 2) there is
a metal collar at the base of each antler with runes written
in an ancient Undercommon dialect. A successful DC 15
History (INT) check from a PC who reads Undercommon
deciphers how to affix the antlers to one’s head.
The antlers are magical and can travel through solid
objects (walls, stairs, etc.), add a powerful ability to be
determined at the DM’s discretion, and also connect the
creature wearing the antlers once every 1d20 hours for 10
minutes to the mind of Baphomet (not optional)! During
this adventure, no one is allowed to remove the antlers
from the wall during regular business hours. It might be a
different story, however, if say, Elturel were down in
hell…
A2. The Meeting Room
While normally a private meeting room, due to the high
number of patrons today, Nölke Nes had the door into the
room opened to create extra seating. There are three long,
rectangular tables in the room.
Ta. Table A
The left table near the kitchen has four drunken dock
workers—three males and one female—all fawning,
embarrassingly, over a woman who is dressed to the nines,
and seems very out of place in this establishment. She
introduced herself to them only as “Lelle” to the gathered
adorers. Lelle has her hair up in an ornate bun and is
wearing a stunning low cut black evening gown and
matching gloves that reflect red when she moves.
Hellish Origins. Known far and wide across all the planar
realms, Lelle is an infamous powerbroker with purported
ties to powerful Archdevils. Lelle’s personal informants
have been working for years to sow discord in Avernus.
They have been so effective that Zariel is desperately
seeking to figure out who is assisting Lelle in the ongoing
assassination of many of her high-ranking soldiers. Lelle’s
informants have gained intel that suggests that Elturel is
soon going to be ground central of something significant.
Lelle is in the tavern this evening to see who comes to visit
Ontharr Frume, who she has ascertained will be central to
the events to come. She talks to the drunken dock workers
as cover, and her latent charm is so profound they are
compelled to keep their distance.
Engaging Lelle. Any PCs who enter the meeting room and
have shown a proclivity towards beautiful women earlier
in the campaign (at the DM’s discretion), notice Lelle 1d4
rounds after entering the room, and immediately excuse
themselves to go and talk to her. If the party is already
talking to Ontharr Frume (Table C), Lelle ignores the dock
workers and puts her entire (and electrifying) attention on
the PCs who seek her out. Despite her breathtaking
appearance, the captivated PCs are surprised by both her
lighthearted demeanor and the fact that she seems
genuinely interested in them (she is, and as such, will pass
all related ability checks). Assuming the other members of
the party are talking to Ontharr Frume, Lelle will offer the
following to the PC(s) who approach her in lust.
The Good: 1) She will tell them that Ontharr Frume is a
man to be trusted and encourages them to convince their
friends that they should heed his advice; 2) “Seltern
Obranch is a skilled druid who often does rituals at
Maiden’s Bridge (E9), you would do well to visit him and
pay close attention to everything he says.” All PCs who
hear this advice will passionately urge the party to heed
this advice, unaware that they are under Lelle’s charm.
The Problematic: Any PC who talks with Lelle for more
than two minutes will remember this encounter with Lelle,
forever. This will manifest in the following ways: they will
begin to dream about her once every 1-2 tenday (these
dreams can be direct communication, at the DM’s
discretion), they will immediately go to her whenever they
see her from this point forward, regardless of the situation,
and they have disadvantage on any ability checks that
would be hinder Lelle’s plans or attack rolls against her.
Lelle is not someone you forget.
Tb. Table B (aka the Coquette Table)
The center table has a rambunctious happy hour gathering
of six members of the Elturian chapter of the Chionthar
Coquettes, popular swingers club in the region! While
many of the members have dated previously, they are all
many-drinks-deep and flirting shamelessly. The gathered
members are two cis male gnomes (Jan & Jon), a cis
female tabaxi (Ina), and trans male tortle (Lor), a trans
female air genasi (Vera) and cis female shadar-kai (Mina).
The group happily accepts outsiders who are friendly and
sex-positive, and after showing themselves to be so, the
PCs are integrated seamlessly into a conversation that is
predominately sexual, involves significant petting, and is
quickly becoming a public cuddle puddle. Jan and Jor rent
three rooms upstairs (A7), and in thirty minutes the entire
group will retire there for activities not involving clothes.
The only member of the Coquettes who is not currently in
attendance is none other than Morrale the Beerholder,
who receives plenty of eyestalk strokes whenever he
passes by. If any PC verbally harasses the group in any
way or is violent towards any member, Morrale surprise
attacks the PC (roll a d4 to determine which eye ray hits),
and they are then grappled by two half-orc bouncers who
throw them out. On the way, every single local unarmed
strikes (with advantage) and curses them as they pass (this
should result in a significant reduction of hit points). As
they are thrown out, Nölke Nes shouts “It’s the 1490s you
bigots, get with the program!”
Any PCs expelled in this way rolls at disadvantage on all
attack rolls and skill checks involving Elturian citizens for
the duration of this adventure. Furthermore, they are
banned from A Pair of Black Antler’s for life, unless they
return six months later with a genuine realization of their
past bigotry, explain the work they have done to change,
and display actions that exemplify a profound
transformation of their person.
35

Tc. Table C
At the far right table, there are two dwarves talking loudly.
One of them is Ontharr Frume (LG male Illuskan human
war priest; HT, 9, 12—full stats block on 30), a famous
Elturian and Paladin of Torm. Ontharr will not talk to
anyone who doesn’t ask for him by name, and will not
reveal himself until the PCs have visited enough patrons to
be told by a local who he is (must visit a minimum of three
tables before any local will point out Ontharr).
When properly introduced/greeted, Ontharr kindly asks his
companion to leave to make space for the PCs, then says:
I have heard of your arrival in Elturel and I am glad you
made it here to find me in time…” Ontharr explains,
“Myself and a small group of knowledgeable locals are
deeply concerned about a large number of problems that
all seem to be coming to a head at the same time. We
have been unsuccessful in planting a spy amongst the
secretive group which began arriving months ago. We
have, however, gotten information that something
powerful has been smuggled into the city recently for
nefarious purposes, and we are concerned that the
recent murder of two Hellriders might be leading to
another very soon.”
What Ontharr Knows. Ontharr explains that he needs to
make an appearance with the political delegation of Grand
Duke Ravengard at the request of High Observer Thavius
Kreeg. Before leaving he shares some of the following: 1)
Marisiam Rathanda, Hellrider and Dockmaster of the
Dragoneye Docks (E22) is an asset the party should
consider consulting, she has been leading the investigation
of the recent Hellrider murders; 2) don’t go into the
36
tunnels below the city, they are impossibly complex and
some think there is something very dangerous lurking
down there; 3) “My friend Darro Voat in Helm’s
Shieldhall (E8) is distressed and I can’t shake the feeling
that he is onto something regarding this whole affair.”
Darro himself doesn’t know anything with certainty, but
his skepticism of the actions of Yalte Zicma will make
sense in the final act. He would never guess that Yalte is a
villain, because of the pride of having been her mentor.
Lastly, and most importantly, Ontharr asks the PCs if they
would be willing to meet up with him tomorrow an hour
after sunrise in the northern end of the Gardens? He wants
to see what they have learned and to share his own
discoveries. “Things are coming to a head, I feel
something explosive brewing.”
A3. Steena’s Kitchen
The kitchen is slammed with orders, and an Owlin chef
is flying around shouting orders with nearly a dozen pots
and pans floating around the kitchen under her
command. A small horned creature sits on a shelf eating
a huge pickle, and four gnomes scamper around, one of
which screams “Coming through!” as they skillfully
weave through your party with six plates balanced
precariously in their arms.
The chef is Steena Ryken (CG, female Owlin enchanter),
cousin to Breena at Strixhaven, who has been running the
kitchen at A Pair of Black Antlers for the past year to great
review, with the exception that she will not cook any bird
dishes! She likes the working class atmosphere of the
tavern and is quick to demean any of Elturel’s elite. She
tells the PCs to get out as the tavern is very busy, but will
talk for one minute if a thoughtful question is asked.
The small creature eating a massive pickle is Jaspo the
Quasit (HT, 7), who is Steena’s familiar. He is, in fact,
sitting on a huge jar labeled “PICKLES” and hopes that
Steena will allow him another when he finishes this one.
She will not.
No PCs are allowed down the stairs to the Food Cellar
(A5—HT, 8), and Steena will cast a hold person spell to
stop anyone who tries. If the PCs somehow get into the
cellar, one round later, a half-orc bouncer will arrive to
enforce Steena’s will, and kick anyone who refuses to
leave the cellar out of the establishment. Steena is,
however, impressed by their resolve and shares this if an
attempt was made: “While now is not the time since the
kitchen is so busy, your adventurous spirit might one day
be rewarded down there—just make sure to fully recite the
prayer!” (see “Secret Door,” HT, 8)
Hellturel Note: Steena is not killed when Elturel falls
down to Avernus, and she flies around the city organizing
the resistance with High Rider Ikaia!
A4. Privy
The privy holes have clearly been missed by a number of
patrons, as the floor is soaked and the smell is foul.
The privy holes are 18 inch in diameter openings that go
into the tunnel network (The Maze) under the city. No
local shares this information, as who wants to climb into a
privy? If, for some odd reason the PCs go down through
the privy hole, they wander lost for 2d20 turns (minimum
10 turns), until finally hearing a sound and approaching the
light of a massive underground study with a man seated at
a desk. The man is High Rider Ikaia. (for full description,
see Old Harvest House, E16).
DM’s Note: All the following five rooms are described in
detail in Hellturel, but with the exception of Jan and Jor’s
Fun Rooms (A7), none of these rooms are used in this
adventure. We put out the aspiration, however, that these
rooms give you the creative space to help us collectively
transform A Pair of Black Antlers into one of Sword
Coast’s most infamous taverns in the years to come!
A5. Food Cellar
All the food and alcohol is stored down here. Additionally,
the secret door to the Carven of Torm is located here (see
HT, 8 for full details).
A6. Rooms Leased by Locals
One of these rooms will be rented by Lephit Ezim in two
days’ time (Day Four), when she burns down her house
practicing her new flame spell! (HT, 9)
A7. Jan & Jor’s Fun Rooms!
(aka ‘The Chionthar Coquette’s Club)
See “A2. Meeting Room, Table B” above for details of the
fun the Chionthar Coquettes are about to have in these
rooms!
A8. Ontharr Frume’s Rooms
Ontharr Frume rents all three of these A8 rooms, the two
largest of which are his personal quarters, and the small
one which he keeps for guests who visit him. The large
room with the red carpet has the “Altar” in the top left
corner, and the “Bed” with the secret compartment under it
(HT, 9). The treasure that is currently in the secret
compartment is both sets of treasure from Hellturel (HT,
“Treasure” sections on pages 7 & 9). No clues about this
secret compartment are given in this adventure, and
outside of crazy coincidence/luck, the PCs should not find
this treasure.
A9. Shared Living Room
A10. Shared Meeting Room
E19. Keep of the Twin Suns
The Keep is the northeast gateway into the city, and links
Dusk Road from Elturel to Triel. Like the West Gate, six
Order of the Companion veterans stand watch at the Keep
of the Twin Suns and are tasked with ensuring the security
of the Elturel. The guards allow the PCs to leave the city
freely, but are on high alert and question the PCs as to their
reason for visiting the city and how long they plan to stay.
For procedures for entering Elturel, see West Gate (E1).
E20. East Docks (a-c)
Three different piers comprise the East Docks: the North
Pier (20a), Central Pier (20b) and South Pier (20c). Each
has its own entrance—they are not connected.
E20a. East Docks—North Pier
The busiest of the three docks, all of the piers are filled
with shipping boats and dozens of laborers loading
frantically. A DC 10 Perception (WIS) Check notices a
pair of wooden white wings and half a dozen vases of
white roses. If the PCs approach this area they find the
area unattended. A DC 12 Investigation (INT) check hears
a crashing noise from a stack of crates 15 feet away.
If the PCs walk behind the crates they discover the
infamous imp brothers: Brother Aamon, Brother Abaddon,
and Brother Achyls (who are everywhere in Elturel—see
E13; E14; E24) eating dozens of white roses with broken
vases at their feet. All three brothers will scream upon
being discovered., and then shout at the PCs, “You have
ruined Brother Aamon’s lunch/dinner!” followed by “You
have destroyed Brother Abbadon’s appetite,” after which
brother Abbadon will vomit up mucus covered white
petals followed by loud, wet flatulence, before saying,
“You have destroyed Brother Achyls underpants!
If the PCs attempt to talk to the imps, they will engage in
one round of discussion. If attacked, one round of combat.
After one round of either, they transform into animals or
become invisible and flee into a pile of crates too small for
the PCs to follow. As they flee, they will laugh and sing:
“Oh the fun to come, Oh the glorious fall, You are too
late, she will take the souls of all!”
37

E20b. East Docks—Central Pier
During the morning of Day Two, Spurnyte Mal (LE male
human illusionist; HT, 20) is at the East Canal Central
Dock, dressed in simple blue robes and reciting his
officiant speech for the Furrowbrow wedding tomorrow.
When the PCs arrive, he is casting dancing lights, color
spray and major image to prepare for the light show he
will produce after the wedding. The four cult fanatics who
comprise his personal guard are zealously protective.
Assuming the PCs start as normal at the West Gate (E1),
West Docks (E2) or Phontyr’s Unicorn, it is highly
unlikely they make it to the East Docks before Spurnyte
has left around noon, and this is intentional. Spurnyte Mal
cannot die at the East Docks, as he is the central villain of
the final act. Additionally, regardless of the time of day, if
the PCs have met Marisiam Rathanda at the Dock House
(E24), Spurnyte is gone when they arrive at the East Docks
(for the same reason).
Roleplaying Spurnyte. If, however, the PCs arrive and
meet Spurnyte on Day Two, he is most charismatic and
mesmerizing figure (outside of Lel, (E18)) they have
encountered in Elturel. He flatters each of the characters in
a subtle but effective way, and is very gracious in stopping
his practices to treat them as though they are someone he
has known for a long time. Spurnyte’s charm leads the PCs
to believe that this individual is a kind person, a resource,
and possibly even an ally. If they have heard negative
things about him, his charisma in person should cause
them to question if this is in fact a villain. As an illusionist,
Spurnyte lies fluently without any indication he is doing
so, so it requires a DC 24 Insight check to determine
anything fishy, and even on success, the PC only notices
that something is “a bit off, but it doesn’t seem malicious.”
While Spurnyte would normally attempt to convert
newcomers to the Cult of Zariel, he is too busy to do so on
this day. Assuming the party has a good interaction with
him, he invites them to come visit him at Symbril’s House
(E12) in two days after the wedding. This would be Day
38
Four of the adventure; a day that will most-likely never
occur for Spurnyte on the Material Plane.
E20c. East Docks—South Pier
This set of docks are the least busy of the three piers, with
only three boats anchored to the ten different landings. In
fact, the busiest thing in the area is the Elturel Fish Market,
which serves some of the freshest fish in all of the inland
Faerûn! About a dozen people are lined up here for a
variety of sashimi bowls and lightly grilled, whole fish.
If the PCs don’t get too distracted by their stomachs, a
successful DC 15 Perception check notices two individuals
rummaging through a set of crates left of the fish stand. If
approached, they discover Lesheda Kalwat (see E11; K4)
and Raemon Iscara (see E8; M8) whom they may have
previously met at the Hellrider’s Keep (E11) and Helm’s
Shieldhall (E8), respectively. If so, the NPC(s) they know
will at first be startled but, upon recognizing the party, and
say “Oh my Helm! You scared me, what brings you to the
East Docks?”
If they have not yet met the PCs, they will at first pretend
they are workers, which will be unconvincing due to their
weapons and knightly appearance. They will not however,
divulge who they are at first, for fear that the party is
associated with Spurnyte Mal. The presence of Reya
and/or the mention of another well-known Hellrider the
PCs have met will result in revealing their true identities.
A case of mistaken identities is also possible here, and
Lesheda and Raemon will engage in combat if they are
threatened. After one round of combat, however, Lesheda
will shout “you sure don’t fight like lazy cultists. Who the
hell are you?” Assuming no continued hostilities from the
PCs, they will identify themselves.
What the Hellriders Know. They are at the East Docks
investigating the recently murdered Hellriders. After
ascertaining that the PCs are not a threat, Lesheda and
Raemon will share two of the following: 1) they are
investigating the recent murders of two Hellriders after
receiving intel from fellow Hellrider Marisiam Rathanda,
the Dragoneye Dockmaster (E24); 2) Lesheda will share
that she has two sons who are also Hellriders, Dalmed and
Farrio Kalwat who tend to spend their evenings at the bar
at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2); 3) the knights will ask if the
party has met Ontharr Frume , and if not, suggest they
swing by a Pair of Black Antlers (E18) to find him as he is
helping in their investigation; 4) if the PCs mention Lulu
or the Maze, Raemon will tell them there are rumors that
the High Rider Ikaia—once an Elturian leader, but now
undead—lives in the Maze below the Old Harvest Home
(E16).
At the conclusion of their encounter, Lesheda will warn
them “something is amiss in Elturel, make sure to be
careful.”

E21. Hunt Quivery
Harkina Hunt (CG, female human archer; DIA, 53-54) is
renowned as one of the most skilled archers in the realm.
Hunt Quivery is her shop, and with the help of her children
Enzo and Brask, Hunt Quivery produces the highest
quality bows and crossbows made along the Sword Coast.
All three family members are working when the PCs
arrive, with Harkina behind the desk and her sons sitting
on half barrels on the right side of the entry foyer,
stringing bows. After cordially welcoming the group into
her shop, Harkina will tell the newcomers that she only
sells bows to avid and skilled archers, which she defines as
a player who has used a bow of some sort as their primary
weapon for the past six months, minimum (Harkina is a
keen observer, and has DM knowledge).
What the Boys Know. If any of the PCs pay attention
and/or talk to the boys, they discover that they are talking
about The Gardens (E13). “Do you want to go to the
Garden’s today Enzo?” “Yes, but I really want to go to
play with the cool boys in the rock castle in the North
Gardens!” To which Brask responds, “I agree, those weird
short people in the South Garden forest yesterday talked all
funny and gave me the willies.”
Hunt Quivery Inventory: Hunt Bows, Hunt Crossbows
and Hunt Heavy Crossbows sell for two times the price of
the similar item listed in the PHB (149), but each weapon
offers +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls due to its expert
craftsmanship.
Harkina’s own longbow is a Hunt Master Bow (+2 bonus
on attack; 1d10 piercing; range 200/800) which she will
not sell, but which she may be willing to give as a gift if
the party helps her to get her family to safety after the fall
of Elturel…
E22. Shiarra’s Market
“Shiarra’s Market is lined by marble-faced banks and
austere slate-gray trading houses and crammed with
busy market stalls.” (ARA, 5C-5; includes an more
details of the history of the Market).
There are over two dozen bustling stalls, including all the
basic shops, but the three stalls the players notice are:
Pebblechuck Bakers
Run by Pilster and Merrywile Pebblechuck (LG,
halflings; DIA 55), and their teenage children Aldegonda,
Adele and Albina (when their parents are drinking at a Pair
of Black Antlers (E18)), serves the most delicious bread
and pastries in Elturel! The staple bread loaves are
cinnamon bread and a serrano cheddar sourdough. Pastries
offered are cheesecake danish, doughnut wrapped bacon,
and the infamous…
Owlbear-Claw Eating Challenge
This massive pastry costs 10gp to purchase outright (ten
thousand calories and the size of halfling torso), but the
challenge requires finishing in under five minutes without
vomiting, in which case it is free and your name is carved
into the bakery wall. Consuming the Owlbear-Claw
requires a natural 19 or 20 roll of a d20—no modifiers
allowed. Upon failure, the individual experiences
legendary vomiting, which always hits one or two of the
person’s companions and lasts for 3d20 seconds! If a
character succeeds in the challenge, and they try to catch a
glimpse of Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2) on that same day, they
get two attempts at guessing on the d20, and a +3 added to
their three ability checks during the chase. This bonus is
not known by any locals, it is solely DM knowledge.
Whilhemina’s Flying Apparatuses
Run by the infamous adrenaline junkie Whilhelmina
Warmoth (who speaks like a totally gnarly surfer chick!),
this stall includes a range of flying apparatuses rarely
encountered in Faerûn. Currently in stock is a Hot Air
Balloon (1000gp), three Gliders (500gp each), and five
Parachutes (300gp each). Bizarre at this moment, such
apparatuses will be of great use for PCs if, say, Elturel was
floating a half a mile above the Avernian planes…
39
 intention for charming is solely to have a front row seat to
whatever shall transpire in the days to come, they will not
hinder the PC, and might in fact intervene on their behalf if
doing so holds the key to gaining rare information by
protecting the charmed. Orin will likely end the charm
when the PCs leave Elturel, unless of course, it becomes
apparent to them that the PCs might know something more
and/or be an important piece of things to come…

The Maze Entrances

All Shiarra’s Market shopkeepers are familiar with the
entrances in the market to the Maze below the streets.
None will offer to guide the PCs and all will warn that it is
an impossible labyrinth. If the PCs go down to the Maze
despite these warnings, they wander lost for 2d20 turns
(minimum 10 turns), until finally hearing a sound and
approaching the light of a massive underground study with
a man seated at a desk. The man is High Rider Ikaia. For
full description, see Old Harvest House (E16)

E23. Dragoneye Docks

Ragron Blacksmithing The docks are bustling with many travelers and traders.
The owner, Orin Ragron (CN, male human form, Any dockhand can point the way to the Dock House (E23)
currently; real identity: “Faltrax,” succubus/incubus— or the Dragoneye Coaster (E24). If the PCs for some
pronouns, they/them; DIA, 55), is a sight for all eyes. reason did not land at West Docks (they should have
Anyone, of any gender, entering the shop must make a unless they had a reason not to do so) and instead land
Charisma saving throw or become uncontrollably lustful here, you have two options:
of—and disturbingly verbal about—their desire for the
proprietor for the next hour. Orin is not bothered by 1. Run the West Docks (E4) encounter in place of this
anyone’s infatuated fawning over them, but they do love encounter. You will need to change that Niri
how uncomfortable it often makes other people and plays Whistlewood and Dunmar Axeshine are about to
along to amplify discomfort. board a boat to take the weapons to the West Docks.
They are happy to give the party a ride if asked kindly.
Orin is too backed up to accept any weapons orders at this 2. Create your own Dragoneye Dock encounter!
time, though they are always prepared to offer a +1
magical weapon (DM’s discretion) for valuable
information. E24. Dragoneye Dock House
The Dock House is home to Marisiam Rathanda, the
Orin is a deft manipulator who is currently engaged in a
Dragoneye Dockmaster and Hellrider, her husband
dangerous gambit: they joined the cult of Zariel as a means
Lorimir Rathanda (LG Sun Elf Druid, HT 24), and their
of gaining knowledge for their master, the demon lord
two young children. The front door is locked, but a knock
Graz’zt, but they are considering defying both powerful
on the door will result in the PCs hearing four different
figures because the danger of it all is giving them a
locks being unlocked before the door is opened by
phenomenal rush! As such, Orin is primarily interested in
Lorimir, who will ask the party the nature of their
knowledge of the coming fall of Elturel, how it might turn
business. If they have not been referred, Lorimir
the tide of the Blood War, and how they might profit from
apologizes that the Dock House is for official business of
any of the above. Orin reports only worthless tidbits of his
the Dockmaster only, and encourages them to go to
interactions with the PCs to the Zarielites (and Graz’zt).
whichever dock their cargo arrived from. He will not allow
Orin’s aspirations are beyond their current capabilities,
anyone inside who was not referred by an Elturian local.
which will either lead to vaulting their current station if
successful, or a no-doubt heinous ending if they are not.
If the players share the name of any locals who told them
to visit Marisiam (or Lorimir), Lorimir lets them in and
Orin does not currently have anyone under their charm, but
apologizes for his rudeness. He will not allow anyone
if an unexpected conversation with the PCs reveals that
inside who was not referred by an Elturian local.
they might have vital information, they attempt to charm
the party member who appears to be the leader. Their

40
Y1. Entrance Hall
The entrance room has a welcoming arrangement of
chairs, couches, and a fireplace. Lorimir invites the
group to take a seat while he goes to get his wife,
Marisiam. The sound of children playing and laughing
emanates from deeper in the house.
When Marisiam Rathanda (LG, female human knight;
HT, 24), arrives she greets everyone warmly, hugs Reya
enthusiastically (Lorimir does not know Reya), and invites
the group to join her family for dinner/lunch. She boasts
about how phenomenal of a cook Lorimir is with great
pride, and engages in small talk until he invites them all
into the kitchen a few minutes later.
Y2. Playroom
The door to this room stands open and inside, with their
backs you, are the Rathanda children laughing playfully
in a room filled with toys. Marisiam introduces her
children, Havsu and Yalayah and Buckle, the family cat
(HT, 22-23).
Any DC 12 Perception (WIS) check done in any room that
the cat is in will notice that Buckle has a golden key
hanging from her collar (see HT, 23).
Y3. Dining Room
A beautiful old oak table sits in the dining room and the
smell of the meal is to die for. Lorimir informs you, “I
have prepared a salt grass and cracked pepper pheasant
and a number of savory sides, please have a seat
wherever you would like.”
Havsu and Yalayah complain that they hate chicken and
ask their father if they can have apple butter biscuits
instead? While this is not normally allowed, Lorimir
acquiesces in light of the guests they have this evening,
and the children take their food back to the playroom.
After everyone is served, Marisiam asks if the PCs have
heard about the recent assassinations of two Hellriders? In
not, she shares the details, and goes on to inform them that
she has secretly been doing night time reconnaissance to
investigate.
Marisiam’s Investigation. This has led her to a discovery
that she shares so long as the PCs are gracious guests: the
mage, Spurnyte Mal, was seen at both the sites where the
Hellriders were murdered the day before they were killed.
Since learning this, Marisiam has been following him and
noticed that everywhere he goes, there seem to be
dispersed groups of people following him and not allowing
anyone to get too close to him. She knows that he will be
leading a wedding ceremony of the Furrowbrow’s at
Maiden’s Leap (E9) tomorrow and plans to be there early
tomorrow in case anything comes up. Soon after Marisiam
shares this information, read:
41
 Fire Attack!
There is a loud CRASH and the sound of breaking glass,
from the entrance hall! The children shriek in terror!
42
When the group rushes to investigate the crashing in the
entrance hall (Y1), they pass the children sobbing in the
playroom (Y2—Lorimir goes in to care for them), they
find two broken front windows and three small fires, two
flaming bricks on the floor and one burning stick on the
couch. The first character(s) who approach the flames to
put them out are surprise attacked as the two bricks mutate
into two magmins and the stick becomes a flame snake!
All three fight to the death.
If any PCs make a successful DC 10 Perception (WIS)
check before they approach the fire they notice that the
“bricks” and “stick” are moving, which will negate a
surprise attack. They will also notice that in the corner of
the room by the ceiling are three large black spiders that
are, in fact, the exceedingly infamous imps, Brother
Aamon, Brother Abaddon, and Brother Achyls (who seem
to be everywhere in Elturel—see E13; E14; E20) who will
watch the battle passively. Just before the battle concludes
(or if it is discovered beforehand), they will momentarily
polymorph back into imps, which the PCs will notice
immediately, and will shout:
You best not meddle, or your head in a kettle, if you keep
trying to pry, you all will surely die!
The imps will then make themselves invisible and scurry
out the nearest broken window.
Assuming the PCs help defend the house with the
Rathanda’s, Marisiam thanks them profusely, and will ask
the PCs if they will help her scout the Furrowbrow
wedding at Maiden’s Leap (E10) tomorrow morning (Day
Three). After this attack on her home, she feels more
confident than ever that Spurnyte Mal is behind the recent
violence in Elturel.
Y4. Kitchen
The kitchen is a mess from Lorimir’s cooking of the meal.
A hot and delectable smelling blueberry pie, which is
Lorimir’s specialty, is sitting on the countertop waiting for
desert.
E25. Dragoneye Dealing Coaster
This warehouse is a front for the Zhentarim, which control
most of the contraband and smuggling going through the
Dragoneye Docks, to the dismay of the Dockmaster.
Despite this being the city’s worst kept secret, the Order of
Elturel have been unable to secure the evidence necessary
to shut this smuggling operation down. The Zhentarim also
control the Redeye Coaster (E4) at the West Docks .
 Chapter 3:
Bad Day for a White Wedding
For the PCs, today will be the day of reckoning.
The Furrowbrow Wedding will start promptly at noon, so time is of the essence.
The sunrise of Day Three reveals a bluebird day with not a
cloud in the sky. Elturel seems busier than usual, and many
Elturians have made it a point to walk by Maiden’s Leap to
see the massive stage that was built for the wedding. Most
locals are surprised (and a bit upset) to discover that the
Leap is closed to the public today for the Furrowbrow’s
wedding. Gossip about how this could have happened
circulates, but the reality is that the permits were approved
by High Overseer Thavius Kreeg.
While the party is welcome to do whatever they want prior
to the start of the wedding, two primary options remain for
the morning of Day Three: visiting additional locations or
scouting Maiden’s Leap.
Visit/Revisit Locations
Depending upon their efficiency, it is possible that the
party, or a few players who split off, could realistically
visit one to three additional locations (or return to one’s
they have visited already) prior to the start of the wedding.
While most of the information from Chapter 2 should hold
for the morning of Day Three, the DM should amend
information and/or situations as they see fit to ensure the
PCs have the information and allies they will need to have
a realistic chance to rescue Lulu. Make sure the PCs keep
track of the time, as the wedding starts promptly at noon.
Scouting the Leap
The clues and allies that the PCs met on Day Two should
point towards the need to scout Maiden’s Leap on the
morning of Day Three and then develop a heist plan to
infiltrate the wedding itself. Only cultists are allowed in
Maiden’s Leap prior to or during the wedding, and this is
enforced by the cultists who have the permits to do so.
Ontharr Frume and Marisiam Rathanda will arrive on the
morning of the wedding to collaborate/help. If the PCs met
these two on Day Two, they will have already made
arrangements to scout the Leap together. If not, Ontharr
and Marisiam will arrive early, find the PCs via Reya and
offer to help. Their intel suggests that something important
will be occurring here today, likely tied to the recent
murder of two Hellriders.
Scouting will require a number of skill checks for the PCs
to gain information and temporary entrée into the Leap,
but they should leave the grounds prior to the wedding to
be able to develop their heist plan together. If they fail any
of these skill checks in the presence of the cultists, they are
detained for 15 minutes by the cultists and told not to come
back when they are released. If caught a second time, they
are detained until the five minutes before the start of the
wedding before being released again.
43

Scouting from the Ground
The streets are busy with dozens of Elturians traveling
across town while others are clearly here to observe the
preparation for this massive event. It is easy for PCs to
blend into the crowd along the streets (L5) or on Maiden’s
Bridge (E9). For every fifteen minutes the players scout in
this method, they observe the following, in order:
Cultist Ushers (15 min)
All the people in the garden area in front of the stage are
dressed in white robes. Every ten feet along the street there
are white robed ushers who inspect anyone trying to get
into the wedding area. A DC 14 Perception (WIS) check of
the ushers (must be from a distance of more than 10 feet to
avoid suspicion) reveals they are checking the right inner
wrist of people in white robes--all Zarielites have a black
henna tattoo of a pair of wings here. This tattoo is covered
by the sleeves of all the robes, and only visible if the
sleeve is pulled up, which no Zarielite will do willingly...
You witness a few locals not dressed in white robes who
try to enter the grounds are told “Sorry, this is a private
and permitted event. You are welcome to watch from the
street.” Interestingly, there is no noticeable Order of
Elturel presence on either street or anywhere near the
Leap, thanks to the devious planning of Thavius Kreeg.
44
Bizarre Circular Movements (30 min)
The yard in front of the stage (L3) has a dense cluster of
people. The people on the outskirts of the circular
rockwork are milling about normally. But there appears to
be some strange pattern of circular movement deeper in the
crowd, towards the center, and this will stimulate the
curiosity of anyone who observes this strange pattern.
Any look towards the sky notices (Passive Perception 12)
five hawks circling above the Leap in a coordinated
pattern. They chase any local birds they try to enter the
park away as a group. They will also attack any PC
familiar or construct that enters the airspace above the park
(see below).
Wedding Attire Carts (45 min)
After walking the perimeter of Maiden’s Leap via the
north and south Garden Streets (L5) and Maiden’s Bridge
(M9), the PCs will notice two carts on opposite sides of the
garden down near the two southern tree groves (L4). There
is a table set up in front of each cart with a wooden sign
saying “Furrowbrow Tailor’s: Wedding Check-In,” and a
curtained off “changing room” behind the carts.
Two white robed Zarielites are working at each table to
distribute the wedding attire crafted for all the cultists at
their tailoring shop. Cultists are given a white robe, white
tunic, and knee height white linen trousers. All cultists
know to wear the tunic and trousers underneath the cloak.
If the PCs mistakenly ask what all the clothes are for, one
of the women at the table will say “Oh you’re a joker one
aren’t you! All of us know what these are for” and winks
at the player. If the PCs persist in questioning, the women
will become suspicious and ask to see their wrist tattoo
again, and require a successful DC 15 Deception (CHA)
check to assure them it’s real. Failure will lead them to call
over three cultists to investigate, at the DM’s discretion.
All that is required to get wedding attire is a black henna
tattoo of a pair of wings on the right wrist. The PCs can
see the tattoos in the following three ways: at Symbril’s
House (E12); from watching the ushers (above); or from
after a successful DC 14 Perception (WIS) check of the
women behind the tables from a distance of more than 10
feet from the cart (so as to not garner suspicion). Only the
PC(s) who has seen a tattoo can successfully draw it on
themselves and others, and only if they have the correct
tools (quill, black ink).
Backstage Guards (60 min)
The Leap itself, behind the back of the stage (L1) is
heavily guarded, with two cult fanatics stationed at each
back corner (north end) of the stage. They do not allow
anyone who approaches through, with the exception of…
the park, and attacking to keep the creature from flying
over the park. It is impossible to get past the hawks, but if
the creature makes it through one round of combat without
retreating, it is able to see the information below…

Any PC who explicitly observes the east side guards and

makes a successful DC 14 Perception (WIS) check notices
that every 10 minutes a white robed individual with a gold
& red armband approaches from the crowd (L4) in front of
the stage and is allowed behind the stage (east) without
any check. An identically dressed individual (same skill
check, west side) exits past the guards stage west every
five minutes as well, and returns back into the crowd in
front of the stage (L4). These individuals are routinely
checking on Yalte Zicma to ensure she has the resources
she needs for the coming ritual (see “L3. Below the Stage”
for more details).

E9. Scouting Maiden’s Bridge

A PC who doesn’t just cross Maiden’s Bridge, but scouts
from near the middle of the bridge will notice after 10
minutes of observation that occasionally the sheets
covering the back of the stage are pulled back at center
stage for someone to quickly enter or exit. When this
happens, they notice a strong red/orange glow emanating
from under the stage, which will definitely catch their
attention (source: the portal to Avernus).

Move Along. Groups of two white robed Zarielites walk

across the bridge every 5 minutes looking for people
stopped and staring at the back of the stage and will ask
anyone doing so to “move along,” and if questioned about
their authority, they will say “we have a permit to close
bridge for the wedding itself, and we are just asking that
people respect the sanctity of the event. If you’d like to
observe, please do so from the streets on either side of the
Garden.” So long as the PCs feign moving on, the cultists L4. Climbing South Tree Groves
will leave them alone. If, however, they refuse to move
Sneaking past a white robbed usher near the two southern
along, they will be warned in a very stern tone one more
tree groves (L4) with DC 14 Stealth (DEX) check, and
time, before three cult fanatics will come to forcefully
then subsequently passing a successful DC 14 Athletics
remove them from the bridge.
(STR) or Acrobatics (DEX) check to quickly climb up the
tree without being noticed (1d8 bludgeoning damage on a
Scouting from On High fail/fall). This also requires another successful Stealth
Height is necessary to get a better view of the bizarre check to sneak back past the usher after climbing out of the
circular movement in the center of the park (L3). This can tree if they don’t want to be questioned about how they got
be done by: in.

E13a. Climbing North Garden Rocks L5. Rooftops Along the Street
Requires a PC who climbs (5.7) up the rocks (DC 15 All of the people in the houses across the street from the
park are irritated by the days of set up for this wedding and
Acrobatics (DEX) check (1d12 bludgeoning damage on a
the high amount of traffic it has brought to their normally
failure). They have advantage if they have already done
peaceful neighborhood. As such, no neighbor is willing to
this previously, and advantage on an identical skill check
let a stranger into their house/on their roof. If the PCs
for the downclimb, regardless.
devise a way to try to get up to the roofs of any of the
houses, the DM can determine the skill checks necessary,
L3. Flying Above the Crowd however, they should be difficult or done at disadvantage
Any attempt of a player to use a familiar, construct, or to due to the owners all being on high alert.
turn into a flying creature (at Level 4, none of the PCs
should be able to) results in the five hawks circling the
Leap to swarm the creature before it is able to get above

45
 What You See From On High…
If a player accomplishes any of the above four options,
they see that inside the crowd of people in front of the
stage (L4), there are three circles of people walking
circularly in opposite directions along the stonework: outer
circle—clockwise; middle circle—counterclockwise;
inner—clockwise. There is a large circular opening in the
center with no people in it, but something is giving off a
strong golden glow. It is impossible to see the source of
this glowing due to the too-low angle from any of these
four high points.
During scouting it is impossible to ascertain the source of
the golden glow, which is an illusion of a glowing Lulu
cast by Spurnyte Mal in order to set a trap. The Zarielites
know the party is coming to try to rescue Lulu, and this
trap is meant to lure the PCs to this exact point after the
wedding has started.
Heisting the Wedding
If the party is new to heisting, the DM is encouraged to
consult Justin Alexander’s thoughtful look at “Heist
Structure” (ARW, Part 4), and to share information with
your players on the basics of heisting.
The essential requirement for getting into the wedding,
which the PCs should learn during their morning scouting,
is that they need to 1) forge a black pair of wings tattoo on
all of their right wrists, and then 2) go to the carts to get
themselves some wedding apparel. Once dressed in white
robes and sporting these tattoos, they will be allowed into
the wedding ceremony by the ushers. With only white
robes (no tattoo), a DC 18 Persuasion (CHA) check is
required for a PC to gain entrée. Failure will result in being
detained for thirty minutes and having the robes be taken,
with no chance of getting new robes (i.e. no chance of
getting into the wedding).
The second part of their plan can take any number of
forms, but their scouting should have alerted them to the
two important locations: 1) the center of the Leap where
the golden glow is coming from (L3); and 2) underneath
the stage (L2). In order to be in both places, the party must
split into two groups of at least three PCs/NPCs each.
Investigating the golden light in the middle of the crowd in
front of the stage (L4) will initiate combat with Spurnyte
Mal. The group investigating beneath the stage (L3) will
discover Lulu and Alfons Ribbens being held for a
sacrificial ritual led by Yalte Zicma. Use the NPCs as a
tool for encouraging a balanced splitting of the party so
that each group has muscle, magic and cunning.
So long as the PCs come up with a plan that makes some
sort of sense, they should be able to accomplish their goals
of sneaking into the wedding and getting to the two
important locations because, unbeknownst to them, their
arrival has been anticipated!
46
Ontharr, Marisiam & Reya
These NPCs play vital roles in the final battle. First, they
enable the party to have the numbers to split into two
groups to investigate the two important locations. Ontharr
and Marisiam, in particular, are very powerful and will be
a great asset to the party in the battles. The DM is
encouraged to have the NPCs play complementary roles in
the battle, and not seek to be the heroes of the day. Both
NPCs are happy to follow the PCs heist plan with one
small exception: Ontharr will want to join the group
investigating the golden glow in the crowd (L3), and
Marisiam will join the group going below the stage (L2).
The reason for this is fate—both these NPCs are fated to
be involved in the demise of these two villains on the
Material Plane. Additionally, if any of these three NPCs
drop below 10 hit points, they will Disengage as a smart
combat tactic, and because they must live to fight another
day. This sets the stage for their roles after the fall of
Elturel, where each villain will be born again in a more
powerful form to serve Zariel in the adventure Hellturel,
and to seek their revenge against Ontharr and Marisiam!
Assuming the party splits and engages in combat in the
crowd (L3) and under the stage (L2) simultaneously, the
DM is encouraged to switch between each scene after each
round of combat in order to pace this final encounter in a
way that creates an air of intensity and urgency that makes
the final encounter memorable.
The Furrowbrow Wedding
At exactly noon, the bells at the top of High Hall are
rung twelve times and the sound reverberates across the
entire city. [Assuming the PCs are at Maiden’s Leap at
noon on Day Three, continue reading] At Maiden’s
Leap, this marks the beginning of the Furrowbrow
Wedding. All of the white robed wedding attendants
move towards their spots in front of the stage upon the
first bell ringing, and by the fourth bell they are all
facing the stage and perfectly aligned in a series of
perfect concentric circular formations.
At the back of the stage the band, composed of
dragonborn musicians with a human bard, have begun to
play [Pachelbel’s Canon]. On the sixth ring, a
charismatic man with a shaved head and dressed in red
and gold cloak climbs from the rear of the stage and
situates himself center stage, where he stands until the
ringing of the twelfth bell. The wedding has begun!
DM Note: The locations that follow are not in
chronological order. Instead, they listed from least
important to most important in the hope that this will best
represent the order of gameplay.
47
 L1. Edge of the Waterfalls
The back two corners of the stage have two cult fanatic
guards stationed on the east and west (4 total) to block
access to the area (L1) behind the stage (each group cannot
see each other due to the stairs—poor stage design!) . They
only allow white robed cultists with red/gold armbands
behind the stage, and do not check anyone with these
armbands.
If the PCs engage in combat with these guards, every three
rounds (Rd. 3, 6, etc.), one cultist from in front of the
stage notices and comes to join the combat. Upon defeat of
all the cultists on either side of the stage, that side of the
stage remains open, as all other cultists are focused on the
wedding.
L4. The Tree Groves
Throughout the wedding, these groves serve as the
southern border of the wedding’s permitted area, and only
white robed cultists are allowed north of them.
If a PC is able to sneak into the wedding, they can climb
into one of the highest trees by making a successful DC 14
Athletics (STR) or Acrobatics (DEX) check to quickly
climb up the tree without being noticed (1d8 bludgeoning
damage on a fail/fall). Once up in the tree, so long as they
are within range with a ranged attack, they can act as a
sniper and will have advantage on all attacks aimed
towards the crowd area (L3). If they decide to abandon
their perch during combat in the crowd, it will take them
three rounds to climb out of the tree and make it to the
inner ring of cultists, where they will still need to make a
DC 25 Athletics (STR) check to break into the inner circle.
L5. Garden Streets
During the wedding, both of these roads will have dozens
of local citizens watching from the street. White robed
ushers are stationed every ten feet at the edge of the street
to ensure that only white robbed cultists are allowed on the
grounds during the wedding. Sneaking into the wedding
without this outfit will result in being grappled by five
cultists.
The two “Furrowbrow Tailor’s: Wedding Check In,” carts
remain open near the tree groves (L4) throughout the
wedding, in the case any cultists arrives late. For details of
how to get attire, see “Furrowbrow Wedding Attire Cart”
above.
E9. Maiden’s Bridge
Five minutes before the start of the wedding, three white
robbed cultists block off each end of the bridge with
wooden roadblocks (6 total). They have permits to do so
and will not allow any non-cultists to walk out onto the
bridge, which is empty. They are too far from the wedding
to be able to expect backups if they are attacked.
48
The bridge is blocked off because after the wedding starts,
the sheets on the back of the center stage are pulled back
two feet so that the ritual to sacrifice the Hellrider Alfons
Ribbens and Lulu can begin. Anyone standing in the center
of the bridge can see “a bright red glow coming from
underneath the stage, and what sounds like muffled
chanting.”
If a PC successfully sneaks onto the bridge or deals with
the guards, they would have advantage on ranged attacks
at the edge of the waterfalls (L1) and half cover from the
side of the bridge during the final battle (see “L3. Under
the Stage”).
L2. On Stage-Wedding Ceremony
After the ring of the twelfth bell, Spurnyte Mal, adorned
in red and gold robes, begins the wedding ceremony,
which will be short and to the point. While the DM is
encouraged to creatively craft the speech in a way that
makes it specifically relevant to their PCs adventure and
circumstances, you are encouraged to mention “the great
community gathered her today,” “the conclusion of a
previous chapter and the beginning of something new” and
“these rites are performed under the watchful eye of her
winged eminence.” Spurnyte will not say the words
“cultist” or “Zariel” during the ceremony.
After the introductory remarks, Cal and Rhem
Furrowbrow (LE male human cult fanatics; HT, 26) exit
from underneath the rear of the stage and walk of the west
and east rear stairs, respectively. Upon mounting the stage,
the crowd erupts in joyous cheers and the men take their
places take on either side of Spurnyte on stage. The crowd
cheers intermittently during the ceremony, which hinders
the ability of the guards at the waterfalls (L1) and on the
bridge (E9) to communicate with all the cultists watching
the wedding.
While Cal, Rhem and Spurnyte are excited about the
wedding, they all are far more excited for the ritual taking
place underneath the stage that the wedding is obscuring
from public view. As such, the DM is encouraged to keep
things short and sweet in narrating Spurnyte’s words for
the men, going through simple vows, the eventual “I do’s,”
and pronouncement of the marriage being official.
As the men kiss to seal their marriage, the band begins
playing [Press play on “All You Need is Love” by the
Instrumental Brothers (vis a vis The Beatles)] and the
crowd again erupts in cheering and starts to dance wildly
in front of the stage (L3).
After the men kiss, all three will descend down the front
stairs into the cheering crown on the lawn. Once in the
crowd, Spurnyte casts invisibility on himself and will only
appear after the party discovers that the golden glow is a
faux Lulu (L3. In the Crowd) meant to lure them away
from the sacrifice of the real Lulu under the stage (L2.
Under the Stage)

L2. Under the Stage
As the twelfth bell rings, the ritual to sacrifice Alfons
Ribbens begins under the stage, and Lulu will be next!
Leading this ritual is Yalte Zicma, who stands in front of a
massive portal dropping down to Avernus! This portal
only allows infernal energy to raise out of it, it is not a
traditional gateway (unless you have an unruly player, in
which case, see if they can fly!) Yalte is flanked by two
merregons serving as her personal body guards. A black
cloaked orge stands in the shadows in the back right
corner (and will not be seen at the outset without a DC 20
Perception (WIS) check). Behind Yalte, Lulu is chained
and has her head wrapped in a net so that she cannot fly.
Waiting in ambush on either side of the entrance under the
stage are two bearded devils, who will get one round of
surprise attack unless the PCs explicitly detail turning to
their left and right immediately upon entering this space
and complete a DC 12 Perception (WIS) check to account
for their eyes adjusting to the darkness from the bright
daylight outside.
After the PCs have made it past the cult fanatics guards to
gain access to the area behind the stage (L1), have them
detail their plan for entering under the stage. When they
approach to enter under the stage, read the following, and
amend as necessary if their plan alters what occurs upon
entry.
As you approach the opening at the rear of the stage, the
sound of chanting increases. When you walk through the
curtains, your eyes temporality go blind as the darkness
under the stage is a striking juxtaposition to the sunny
day outside.
You quickly you regain your vision and encounter a
diabolical scene: a large stone encircled portal glowing
bright red fills the center of the room and you hear
heinous shrieks coming from below the surface of the
portal. Behind the portal you make out four figures: two
golden armored figures flanking a woman chanting (in
infernal) a dark mantra while a man bound man stands at
the edge of the stone circle and tendrils of pulsating red
energy emerge from the portal and wrap around him,
causing him to scream in pain.
As your eyes adjust further, you notice a golden creature
chained and netted behind the woman—your dear friend
Lulu—sees you and shouts, “Please save us [name of
first PC to come through the door]!”
Assuming they weren’t discovered, the bearded devils get
one round of surprise attack each.
Initiate combat!
Rescuing Lulu Timeline
The timeline below is numbered by rounds, and details the
key events in the battle to save Lulu. The orge’s movement
and actions serve as the metronome of this encounter, as he
does not engage in combat and is solely focused on the
sacrificing of the Hellrider, and then Lulu. The battle
should be raging on as the orge methodically goes about
his business. This twelve round timeline should be viewed
as a rough outline to help the DM maintain a sense of
urgency for the most important scene in this adventure.
1. Bearded Devil surprise attack!
2. First round of combat with bearded devils
3. Orge moves from the corner to move Lulu to the
portal—this will likely be the first time the PCs notice
him, and he is massive!
4. Orge grabs deposits Lulu and grabs Alfons
5. Orge walks with bound Alfons to the exit
6. Orge reaches the waterfall
7. Orge throws Alfons over the waterfall
8. Orge returns walks back under the stage
9. Orge walks back to Yalte’s side, detaches Lulu’s
chains and picks her up
10. Orge walks with bound Lulu to the exit
11. Orge reaches the waterfall
12. Orge (hopefully doesn’t) throw Lulu over the
waterfall…
49
50
Building on the timeline above, the details below articulate
what transpires throughout the encounter in a roughly, but
not rigidly, chronological order. They also provide
optional means of adjusting difficulty for this encounter.
Battle at the Portal to Avernus!
The bearded devils will fight to the death, and attempt to
keep as many of the party members as possible near the
entrance and away from Yalte Zicma’s ritual. The two
merregons will not leave Yalte’s side regardless of what
transpires with the bearded devils.
When the first PC comes within 5 feet of the portal,
assuming they glance into it, read the following:
As you near the portal, you glance over the side and see a
barren hellscape that drops thousands of feet to the
scorched earth below. Flying about 100 feet below the
portal, you see a massive black flying apparatus that
looks like a black blade the size of the tallest buildings in
the realm (Zariel’s Flying Fortress; DIA, 131) pointing
down towards the ground. For the top of this ship you
see red tendrils of power shooting up towards the portal
and wrapping around [Alfons or Lulu, depending]. The
scene overwhelms you with terror.
The first PC to see this must make Constitution saving
throw (13), or is frightened for one round. Seeing their
companion scared in this way, the other PCs steel
themselves for the view and can roll with advantage if they
peer into the portal. No save is necessary for PCs who do
not get curious and look into the portal.
Ontharr Frume (LG male Illuskan human war priest;
HT, 30, 9, 12) is the PCs ace-in-the-hole for this
encounter. Ontharr is happy to position himself in front to
take damage, will fight valiantly, and the DM should study
and prepare all of his spells so that he can use them
effectively. Ontharr also has a date with fate (Hellturel), so
he will be intelligent in his involvement and will disengage
if he drops below 10 hit points. Along these lines, Ontharr
will also save his “Guided Strike” ability for the final
battle with Yalte, particularly in the hope of helping to
strike the final blow. The DM is encouraged to use Ontharr
in a way that is complementary to the party so that he
becomes a team player that helps to ensure they rescue
Lulu, not the driving force in the rescue.
The Orge. After the completion of the surprise attack and
first round of full combat with the two bearded devils,
Yalte orders the orge to walk from his dark corner (which
is the first time the PCs likely notice him, and he is
massive!), brings Lulu to the edge of the portal, and takes
the bound Alfons Ribbens (LG male Calishite human
scout) to the leap to be thrown over the falls for the first
sacrifice. It takes the orge one round to bring Lulu to the
portal, one round to grab Alfons, one round get to the exit,
one round to reach the waterfalls, and on the fifth round he
will throw the screaming Hellrider to his watery death
down the falls.
The orge does not engage in combat, except perhaps if he
determines that one swing of his club to clear a path
through the fighting parties would be faster than just
walking past and/or through the combat (he will hit
whoever is in his way, including the bearded devils). He
ignores any damage he takes, as his sole focus is the
sacrificial task he has been given, which givens him
advantage on any attempts to grapple or block him. It takes
him two rounds to return to Yalte to retrieve Lulu after
sacrificing Alfons, and then another three rounds before he
will be back at the edge of the waterfall to throw Lulu to
her demise…
The Spell Echoes. It is important to remember that
Seltern Obranch’s repetitive recitation of the mantra
“Helm’s sight, by day and night,” in order to cast the
feather fall spell at Maiden’s Bridge (M9) on Day Two has
created a resonance that endures, and any PC who repeats
this mantra exactly while looking at any object within 60ft
will result in that object floating to the ground or river
below (roll d20, even lands on the banks, odd lands in the
river). This will work at both Maiden’s Bridge (L1) and
Maiden’s Leap (L2) for the duration of Day Three. This is
likely the only way to save Alfons, and possibly Lulu as
well if she has not been rescued in time. A detect magic
spell will detect a strong magical field over the area of the
falls and bridge, but will not explain this echo in detail.
51
 The Bodyguards. Whenever the first PC reaches the area
of the ritual, the two merregons will form a wall
attempting to block the PC(s) from reaching Yalte. Any
successful hits on Yalte during combat will result in the
nearest merregon sacrificing itself with the “Loyal
Bodyguard” reaction in order to take the hit for Yalte. If
the PCs attack from both directions, the merregons will
work to protect her from both sides. In this way, Yalte
should not receive much, if any, damage prior to all of the
fiends protecting her having been defeated.
When Yalte Zicma (NE, female human priest; HT 12)
takes her first significant damage and/or when all her
fiendish guardians are dead, she casts spirit guardians in
order to give herself enough time to complete the ritual
and sacrifice both Alfons and Lulu. She is unconcerned
about her life/death as she knows that she will be reborn in
Avernus, so her primary goal is to successfully complete
the two ritual sacrifices and she will direct all her efforts in
this direction. After Lulu is brought to the edge of the
portal (when the orge grabs Alfons), Yalte needs 5-6
rounds to imbue Lulu with sufficient infernal energy to be
ready to be taken by the orge and sacrificed at the
waterfalls.
Rescuing Lulu
This encounter should be a very difficult battle, but in the
end the party should be able to rescue Lulu (stat block,
DIA, 237) . Furthermore, she should not die, as she has an
important role to play in the adventure that lies ahead.
Assuming the PCs work together, they should be able to
accomplish this. If the party has bad luck with their dice
rolling and/or make bad decisions, there is a failsafe for
allowing Lulu to survive this encounter on her own accord
without undue DM intervention.
Manifesting Safety. Lulu does not have her memory and
thus does not understand her own power. If, however, she
or one of the PCs is near death, Lulu’s deep desire to live
or save her friends in the party will result in her fear itself
manifesting one of her impressive powers. If she does
manifest any of these powers, she blacks out and has no
memory of doing so afterwards. These four powers give
the DM a powerful means of ensuring that Lulu survives,
but should only be used as an absolute last resort.
● Aura of Invulnerability: to protect herself and her
friends from magic.
● Trumpet of Sparkles: hurts evil creatures, does not
affect good creatures. [22 (4d8 +4)]
● Trumpet of Blasting: will likely eliminate any of the
fiends so long as they have already sustained damage
[17 (5d6) thunder damage]
● Cast any of her 1/day spells (shapechange, for
example, could transform her momentarily into a
golden mammoth that would destroy the stage in a
memorable fashion).
52
Yalte’s Death
However the death blow is delivered, Yalte will turn
towards Ontharr and whatever PCs are nearest him, and
with her dying breath, scream, “This is not over, I will see
you all in hell!” After having said this, her body and the
bodies of the bearded devils and merregons will transform
into a red tendrils of energy, merge above the portal, and
with a high-pitched SHREIK, these unified tendrils will
shoot down through the portal. Immediately after these
creature’s energies depart, the portal hardens circularly
into stone, leaving behind the simple stone platform that
Elturians have been using to sit on and enjoy Maiden’s
Leap for decades.
See “Wedding Aftermath” below for details of how things
transpire after the culmination of all the events of “L3. In
the Crowd” and “L2. Under the Stage.”
L3. In the Crowd
For the duration of the ceremony, the Zarielites have
organized themselves in concentric circles to watch the
wedding. Using the stone circles as a guide, the cultists are
comfortably spaced in the third circle, more tightly spaced
in the second circle, and impenetrably shoulder-to-
shoulder in the inner circle.
The PCs who come to inspect the crowd during the
wedding will have been joined earlier by Marisiam
Rathanda, and she will remain to help them investigate
throughout the following encounter. As the result of her
weeks of investigation on the murder of the two Hellriders,
her assuredness that Spurnyte was involved, and her
having uncovered that he is an illusionist, she will have
advantage on attacks on him.
The cultist will allow any fellow cultist/disguised party
members to watch the wedding from the second or third
circles. Every cultist in the inner first circle has been
stationed there by Spurnyte Mal to ensure that the PCs
coming to investigate the golden glow are not allowed into
the center until the wedding has concluded.
Wedding Etiquette. The expectation is that all cultists
(and PCs) will find their place at the beginning of the
ceremony and stay there for the duration of the wedding. If
the PCs attempt to continue to move beyond the second
circle, they will twice be asked nicely to “please find a
place to respectfully watch our brothers’ ceremony.” If
they persist, each PC violating the sanctity of the wedding
(and not those who aren’t) will be grappled by five cultists
each, and the cultists in the outer circle will close ranks so
that this disturbance is not viewable for people watching
on the streets (L5). They will maintain their grapple until
about a minutes after the wedding is over, in order to give
Spurnyte time to arrive.
Reception in the Inner Circle
After the newlyweds kiss and seal their marriage, the
music begins [“All You Need is Love” by the
Instrumental Brothers (vis a vis The Beatles)] and the
assembled, white robed guests all begin dancing
ecstatically, throwing their hands to the air and spinning
in energetic circles of joyous celebration. The reception
has begun!
At the commencement of the reception, the inner circle
cultists will also begin to dance and will any longer
attempt to block the disguised PCs from getting to the
center of the circle to investigate the golden glow.
When the PCs and Marisiam Rathanda (LG, female
human knight; HT, 24) break into the center circle, they
will discover that entire inner circle (approximately 30ft
across) is completely empty of wedding guests and sitting
in the center of the circle is Lulu, chained to the ground
(she does not speak). When the first PC reaches Lulu and
comes into contact with her, their hand goes straight
though her because this is an illusion of Lulu, and the trap
has been sprung!
In the Mosh Pit. Assuming all the PCs in the group are
inside the inner circle by the time this occurs, the cultists
that formed the inner circle reform that circle, shoulder-to-
shoulder and two cultists deep, but facing inward and
watching. If not all the party have made it into the inner
circle, multiple cultists from the outer circles shove each
PC/NPC from behind (surprise, with advantage) into the
inner circle, which forms behind them. The tight formation
holds for the duration with the encounter and blocks any
locals watching from the street being able to see anything
that transpires. All the cultists outside the circle continue
to dance, obscuring this formation from onlookers.
Any PC who attempts to break through this strong, two-
deep formation must succeed in a DC 25 Athletics (STR)
check. Upon success, the circle will reform and any
attempt to get back in requires success on the same check.
Moments after the cultists create this formation, Spurnyte
Mal (LE male human illusionist; HT, 20), rematerializes
from his invisibility spell at the north end of the inner
circle. He also concurrently uses his bonus action to
silently cast displacement on himself. This being done, he
greets his prey:
“Welcome to Elturel, brave adventurers, isn’t it a nice
day to start again? I was warned by [Villain’s Name
from Prelude] from [Villain’s city] that there was a
strong chance that the foolhardy group who left their
precious Lulu alone in the midst of a petty heist might
come and attempt to rescue her, and it seems as though
[she/he] was right! Even if I had not been warned,
however, the ruckus you all made around town yesterday
didn’t exactly maintain a low profile now, did it?
[quietly casts mage armor on himself]
Then, addressing himself to Marisiam Rathanda (LG,
female human knight; HT, 24) directly, he says,
“Hey little sister, what have you done? Why couldn’t you
leave well enough alone? Why did you have to go and
investigate the deaths of your pathetic Hellrider friends?
But worry not, their deaths were just the start, as today
will go down in history as the beginning of the end for
you and all your foolish brothers and sisters who believe
you come from brave descendants, when in fact, you are
a linage of cowardice who betrayed the only one who
could ever have saved you! But all of you have chosen
your side, and so, as I said before, perhaps today is a
nice day for us to start again, because it seems to me that
it’s a nice day for a white wedding!”
Immediately after saying this, Spurnyte will cast a 3rd or 4th
level spell as a surprise attack. Simultaneously, press play
on Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” and have it on repeat for
the duration of the battle! The DM is encouraged to
purchase the song (or a streaming service) so that you can
play the song on repeat without scene-killing commercials.
Initiate combat!
53

Battling Spurnyte
After Spurnyte’s surprise attack, the first full round of
combat begins. Every odd numbered round (1, 3, 5, etc.),
two Zarielites will join the battle from the inner circle
formation, and they will be immediately replaced in the
inner circle by two new Zarielites. This will continue,
every odd round, like clockwork, until Spurnyte is
defeated. No other Zarielites will engage in the combat on
Spurnyte’s orders.
The Zarielites join Spurnyte in this order:
1st round: one cult fanatic, one cultist
3rd round: two cultists
5th round: one cult fanatic, one cultist
7th round: two cultists
Repeat every odd round until Spurnyte is defeated.
Each odd round, the first cult fanatic/cultist will come
from whatever part of the circle enables them to easily
position themself in front of Spurnyte, forcing one
character to engage with them in melee combat. The
second cultist will come from another spot in the circle
that enables them to engage a different party member in
melee combat.
Cultist Strategy. The cultists’ strategic plan is to keep the
party divided and unable to attack Spurnyte in unison, or
directly. Every odd numbered round, two new Zarielites
will continue this strategy. This should force the party to
strategize on the fly about how to deal with the nuisance of
the ongoing stream of cultists in order to defeat Spurnyte.
54
Blood & White Robes
The DM is encouraged to describe the blood splattering on
the white robes at the end of every round, or after a
particular damaging hit. As everyone (including the PCs)
is wearing white robes, there will likely be a little blood on
the robes in the first round, red tie dyed robes by the third,
and practically red robes by the fifth round, etc. This
narrative opportunity was designed to make the scene
memorable.
Spurnyte’s Death
When the death blow is dealt to Spurnyte, slowly lower the
music until it is silent. Spurnyte then turns towards
Marisiam and whatever PCs are near her and says, in a
disarmingly cool tone,
“Well little sister, look what you have done. Perhaps
today wasn’t such a good day for a white wedding? But
worry not, for there is nothing fair in this world, there is
nothing pure in this world, and soon, little sister, you and
all those you love will see that it is all going to start
again.”
After Spurnyte’s final words, press play on Stone Temple
Pilots “Naked Sunday.” This song is to be followed by a
90s rock and roll playlist of your choice. Having done this,
read the following:
After drawing his last breath, Spurnyte’s body ignites in
massive ten foot tall multi-colored flame that causes all
the guests and lookers-on to cheer wildly, as though this
was pyrotechnics planned for the wedding.
Immediately after the flame ignites, every single white
(and red) robbed wedding guest in attendance strips off
their robes and circles the fire to toss their robes into the
flame, which grows increasingly larger. Underneath their
robes, the guests are all wearing identical short sleeved
white tunics and knee height white linen trousers. As the
final robe is thrown into the flame, it expands into a large
pair of flaming wings that flap one time before blinking
out of existence with a loud BANG!, which causes
everyone to cheer loudly, again!
All vestiges of the circular formations are gone, and all
the revelers spread themselves evenly across the Leap
and resume an even more energetic and twirling dance.
Locals who had been standing on the streets flock in and
join the festivities. The reception, it appears, is
continuing as though nothing has happened.
See “Wedding Aftermath” below for details of how things
transpire after the culmination of all the events of “L3. In
the Crowd” and “l2. Under the Stage.”
Wedding Aftermath
After the party rescues Lulu, they are surprised to see that
the wedding reception continues, as though nothing has
happened, late into the night. Even Cal and Rhem
Furrowbrow dance joyously and are happy to talk to the
PCs, as they know they will see Spurnyte and all the
Zarielites who were killed soon enough. After defeating
Spurnyte, the cultists all change attire and allow the locals
to join the celebration (see L3). The party is welcome to
join as well if they please.

If, however, hanging out with cultists that just tried to kill
them is not their cup of tea, Ontharr will suggest drinking
heavily at the Pair of Blacks Antlers and is happy to offer
them his extra rooms to the party to sleep in. If Alfons
Ribbens was killed, Reya will suggest returning to
Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2) so she can try to find Dalmen &
Farrio Kalwat and tell them the bad news (and if he
survived, to tell them the great news and celebrate!).
Marisiam will want to return to her family at the
Dragoneye Dockhouse (E24), and while it is not a tavern,
she will offer to let the party stay at her house if they want
to rest instead of drink.

Ultimately, the group is free to do whatever they want for

the remainder of Day Three. At whatever point Ontharr
and Marisiam leave the party, they will embrace every
member of the party and say, in parting:

We will never be able to thank you enough for helping us

to save Elturel from these devilish cultists. Please know
that you are welcome back whenever, and we would be
happy to host you, as you will soon be known around our
city as the heroes of Elturel!

55
 Epilogue: Leaving Elturel
Rescuing Lulu from Elturel ends here. It is now time for you to return to Waterdeep,
head onwards towards Baldur’s Gate, or continue on your journey across the Sword Coast.
Return to Waterdeep
On the morning of Day Four (or perhaps sooner), the PCs
descend to the lobby of wherever they spent the previous
night to discover a figure waiting for them. If they came to
Elturel by sea, they will find Brantor Stonefingers, a
servant of the Cassalanters, waiting to offer to take them
back to Waterdeep by land with a pack mule. If they came
to Elturel by land, they will find a nimblewright named
Harpito offering them passage on Zardoz Zord’s ship the
Hellraiser back to Waterdeep. Either way, return to
“Chapter 1: By Land/By Sea” for the full details of the
perils that await the party on their return.
Prior to leaving, Reya Mantlemorn (possibly with Lulu)
will inform the party that she will not be joining them. She
tells the party that despite the defeat of Spurnyte, Lesheda
Kalwat received intel that Amrik Vanthampur was an
accomplice of Spurnyte’s and may be planning future
attacks on the Hellriders. Reya has been tasked with
traveling to Baldur’s Gate to investigate and address the
threat. Reya apologizes for the short notice, but assures
them that she is confident that their paths will cross again
soon.
56
There are two possible options here for Lulu. First, and
most simply, she can return with the party to Waterdeep.
By this point in the Descent from Waterdeep campaign,
she and the party have a strong and enduring bond that will
better prepare them for their eventual journey into
Avernus. However, it is equally plausible that Reya would
suggest taking Lulu with her to Baldur’s Gate to see if her
friend Sylvira Savikas at Candlekeep Library has any idea
why Lulu was used in the infernal ritual at Maiden’s Leap,
and might also be able to help Lulu try to recover some of
her memories.
After the PCs conclude their time in Waterdeep (by
recovering all the Eyes of Golor and/or heisting the Vault
of Dragons), they receive an urgent message from either
Reya or Falaster Fisk that Elturel has vanished, that it
appears the Vanthampur family was involved, and a
pleading request them to come south to meet in Baldur’s
Gate at the Elfsong tavern to help unravel this mystery.
This provides a smooth transition to Descent into Avernus,
and it is at the DM’s discretion if they want to run the raid
on Vanthampur Villa or to head straight to Candlekeep and
onto a now fiery Elturel in Avernus!
 Return to Baldur’s Gate
If running Rescuing Lulu from Elturel as an interlude of
DIA, it is important to change that this visit by Grand Duke
Ulder Ravengard is the visit where he will be sucked down
into Elturel after the PCs and Reya leave for Baldur’s
Gate. In this scenario, he does not leave Elturel on the
night of Day Two, but remains in town for a final
diplomatic meeting with High Overseer Kreeg on Day
Four. Thavius Kreeg leaves with Amrik Vanthampur in the
middle of the night on Day Three, but Ravengard waits for
a his meeting on Day Four that will never happen.
On the morning of Day Four, Reya Mantlemorn knocks
loudly on the PCs rooms and gathers them for urgent
meeting. She tells the party that despite the defeat of
Spurnyte, Lesheda Kalwat received intel that Amrik
Vanthampur was an accomplice of Spurnyte’s and is
racing back to Baldur’s Gate to avoid persecution. Reya
has been tasked with traveling to Baldur’s Gate to bring
Amrik back to Elturel to face a trail, and asks for the PCs
help. Assuming the party agrees, they return to Baldur’s
Gate on the morning of Day Four, and plan their raid on
Vanthampur Villa on the journey.
Tyranny of Dragons
After rescuing Leosin Erlanthar from the Furrowbrow
wedding and resting for the night, the PCs awake to news
that all of the Cult of the Dragon members who have been
in the city for the wedding seem to have disappeared
overnight.
Ontharr Frume shares that a large wagon caravan is
heading east towards Baldur’s Gate, and possible onward
to Waterdeep afterward. His sources in Elturel believe this
caravan to be the departing members of the Cult of the
Dragon. He offers the party his contact in Baldur’s Gate,
Ackyn Selebon, who is a merchant who can set the party
up with all the materials they will need to follow the Cult
of the Dragon caravan wherever they go.
This material overlaps smoothly with “Chapter 2: On the
Road,” and the mission to continue pursuing the Cult of
the Dragon northeast along the Sword Coast. (see TOD,
28-31).

Witness the Fall of Elturel?

The published timeline in DIA does not align with anyone
seeing the fall of Elturel. If you decide to run this
adventure before starting DIA, however, the party leaving
Elturel for Baldur’s Gate would be an amazing opportunity
for the party to become first-hand witnesses the historic
fall of Elturel! As they crest the hill west of Elturel on their
departure with Reya (or round the last bend of the River
Chionthar if they go by boat), read the following:

As you approach the final view of the city, blue lightning

begins to crackle all around the surface of Companion.
Dozens of bolts of lightning shoot down towards the city,
seemingly pulling the massive sphere of the Companion
down at a breakneck pace towards Elturel! In the blink of
an eye the Companion envelops the city, which now
appears to be covered in a dome of blue energy
¡CRACK! An explosion brighter than the sun and louder
than a volcano blinds and deafens the entire party. The
world goes white and your head rings for what seems
like an eternity… When your ears finally stop screaming
and your blurry vision begins to return, you blink three
times, and open your eyes upon something impossible:
where the city once stood, there is now only a giant
crater… Elturel is gone.

If the party decides to return to Elturel, they discover

nothing but a massive crater and any Elturian’s who were
outside of the city limits are now refugees. They can lead a
refugee caravan if they want to help, or they can speed
onward to Baldur’s Gate to confront the Vanthampur’s
(and Kreeg) about their role in the fall of Elturel.

57
 The Descent from Waterdeep Series
Rescuing Lulu from Elturel is the second (and, for now,
most important) part of the Descent from Waterdeep Series
that seamlessly links WDH into DIA and beyond! A short
preview of the other three parts of the series are provided
to build your excitement about this level 1-20 adventure
for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.
Part I: Nine Levels of Waterdeep
For Levels 1-5
The City of Splendors has many reputations. A running
joke amongst Waterdhavian’s is that theirs is a city of
deception, collusion and an ongoing struggle for power
that rivals the Nine Hells!
What if this is not a joke?
Nine Levels of Waterdeep leaves the details of the classic
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist largely untouched. Instead,
attention is put towards critically analyzing the striking
archetypal overlaps between Waterdeep’s most infamous
citizens and the Archdevils and powerful devils that rule
the Nine Hells. The result is a powerful meta gaming
resource that will help you to plant seeds in the characters
of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist that will symbolically or
literally (your choice!) grow in the soil of the first level of
Hell before blooming into the PCs reason for forging
ahead after Avernus.
Part II: Rescuing Lulu From Elturel
For Level 4
You are holding it in your hands! Hopefully it is about to
rock your players world—or it already did!
58
Part III: Avernus is the Beginning
For Levels 5-13
After the PCs find themselves back in a fiery Elturel, the
Descent from Waterdeep Series transforms their time in
the desolate Avernian wastelands into a sandbox of
encounters that echo back to Waterdeep while concurrently
establishing a captivating future. In this way, each scene of
DIA is transmuted from a series of events aiming straight
towards a final encounter with Zariel, into a strong second
act riddled with all the important clues and earth shaking
decisions that will establish the powerful final chapter!
Part IV: Toward Hell’s Heart
Levels 13-20+
“To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell’s heart, I stab
at thee; For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.
—Herman Melville
The final chapter deepens the stakes of modern roleplaying
by asking the question: what if Waterdeep and the Nine
Hells are two sides of one cosmic, and very expensive,
coin?
After confronting Zariel, the party learns that their past
decisions have bound them to a devil with a very familiar
face. Towards Hell’s Heart transforms the Nine Hell’s into
epic sandbox for the party and their Archdevil patron to
play a cosmic chess game, with the characters of the past
now the devils of the present, and nothing short of the
hierarchy of the hell below and Faerûn above at stake!
The Descent from Waterdeep Series comes to a powerful
conclusion that is not only epic battles, but challenging
roleplaying that questions if we are shackled by the
mistakes of our past, or if we have the heart necessary to
lay siege on the darkness that tempts us all.
 Appendix I: Clues by Location
The three most import locations have six clues each: High Hall, A Pair of Black Antlers & Dragoneye Dock House
E1) West Gate
E2) Phontyr’s Unicorn
1. Order of Elturel at West Gate (E1)
2. Seltern Obranch at Maiden’s Bridge (E9)
3. High teens at North Gardens (E13a)
4. Lesheda Kalwat at Hellriders Keep (E11)
5. Order of Elturel at Keep of the Twin Suns (E19)
6. Lesheda Kalwat at East Docks South (E19c)
E3) Grand Cemetery
1. Tour Guide at Torm’s Bridge(s) (E16)
2. Strovin & Kartra at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E4) West Docks
1. Niri & Dunmar at Dragoneye Docks (E25)
E5) Redeye Coaster
1. Dunmar Axeshine at West Docks (E4)
E6) Tower of Ber Holmein (14)
1. Gideon Lightward at Grand Cemetery (E3)
2. Lephit Ezim at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E7) Owlbear Butcher Shop
1. Any Zarielite cultist (Appendix II)
2. Solfrey & Gretchen at Symbril’s House (E12)
E8) Helm’s Shieldhall
1. Nara Kosk at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2)
2. Niri Whistlewood at West Docks (E4)
3. Iolanthe Oshrat at Tower of Bèr Nölmein (E6)
4. Ontharr Frume at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E9) Maiden’s Bridge
1. Nara Kosk at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2)
2. Lel at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E10) Maiden’s Leap (19)
1. Any Zarielite cultist (Appendix II)
2. Alfons Ribbens at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2)
3. Lora Zurag at Owlbear Butcher Shop (E7)
4. Paranoid Satyr at Western Switchback (E17)
E11) The Hellriders Keep
1. Niri Whistlewood at West Docks (E4)
E12) Symbril’s House
1. Any Zarielite cultist (Appendix II)
2. Opallita the Devout at Grand Cemetery (E3)
3. Spurnyte Mal at East Docks Central (E19b)
E13) The Gardens
1. (South) Stall muckers at Hellriders Keep (E11)
2. (Central) Stall muckers at Hellriders Keep (E11)
3. (North) Enzo Hunt at Hunt Quivery (E21)
4. (South) Brask Hunt at Hunt Quivery (E21)
E14) High Hall (DIA 58)
1. Nara Kosk at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2)
2. Niri Whistlewood at West Docks (E4)
3. Iolanthe Oshrat at Tower of Bèr Nölmein (E6)
4. Any cultist at Maiden’s Leap (E10)
5. Flaming Fist Knights at Hellriders Keep (E11)
6. Usin Lao at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E15) Western Switchback
E16) Old Harvest Home
1. Seltern Obranch at Maiden’s Bridge (E9)
2. Elturgard reps at Central Gardens (E13b)
3. Table Six at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
4. Raemon Iscara at East Docks South (E19c)
E17) Torm’s Reach & Torm’s Blade Bridges (DIA, 58) (9)
E18) A Pair of Black Antlers
1. Gideon Lightward at Grand Cemetery (E3)
2. Iolanthe Oshrat at Tower of Bèr Nölmein (E6)
3. Darro Voat at Helm’s Shieldhall (E8)
4. High Teens at North Gardens (E13a)
5. High Rider Ikaia at Old Harvest Home (E15)
6. Lesheda & Raemon at East Docks South (E19c)
E19) Keep of the Twin Suns
E20) East Docks
1. Any Zarielite cultist (Appendix II)
2. Leeandra Hillavus at Helm’s Shieldhall (E8)
3. Stall muckers at Hellriders Keep (E11)
4. High Rider Ikaia at Old Harvest Home (E15)
5. Lephit Ezim at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E21) Hunt Quivery
1. Seltern Obranch at Maiden’s Bridge (E9)
2. Dwarven fletcher at Hellriders Keep (E9)
E22) Shiarra’s Market
1. Any Zarielite cultist (Appendix II)
2. Solfrey & Gretchen at Symbril’s House (E12)
3. The Pebblechuck’s at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E23) Dragoneye Docks
1. Lephit Ezim at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
2. Lesheda & Raemon at East Docks South (E19c)
3. Lesheda Kalwat at Hellriders Keep (E11)
E24) Dragoneye Dock House
1. Dalmen Kalwat at Phontyr’s Unicorn (E2)
2. Iolanthe Oshrat at Tower of Bèr Nölmein (E6)
3. Seltern Obranch at Maiden’s Bridge (E9)
4. Lesheda Kalwat at Hellriders Keep (E11)
5. High Rider Ikaia at Old Harvest Home (E15)
6. Ontharr Frume at Pair of Black Antlers (E18)
E25) Dragoneye Dealing Coaster
1. Dunmar Axeshine at West Docks (E4
59
 Appendix II: Zarielite Stronghold Clues
All these clues are strange, they are meant to make interacting with the cultists bizarre. Play it up, make it weird.
E10. The Furrowbrow Wedding:
Maiden’s Leap on Day Three
“My two favorite guys in the world are getting married at
Maiden’s Leap tomorrow! Do you want to kiss me?”
“Flapping flippity, I’m tripping on no diggity, my friend’s
wedding at the Leap’s the rizzle, fo’ shizzle my nizzle.”
“While it’s a private wedding, you should stop by
Maiden’s Leap tomorrow to see the amazing stage our
friends built by the waterfalls at Maiden’s Leap. Do you
have a satchel I might hurl into? I’m feeling sick.”
“I don’t much care for this town these days, but after our
friend’s wedding tomorrow, I have a feeling I’ll be
enjoying Elturel a good deal better.”
“I can’t decide if I’m more excited for my friend’s
wedding at the Leap tomorrow, or for the priest who is
going to marry them. He’s so charming.”
“Tomorrow is going to be the biggest wedding you’ve ever
seen at Maiden’s Leap. I’m excited for getting crunk on
Stoutfellow Sangria from the Waterdeep vineyard.”
“Weather is supposed to be great tomorrow for my good
friend’s wedding at Maiden’s Leap! Anyone down for
some skinny dipping?”
E7. Owlbear Butcher Shop
“Best daily sandwich specials on the Sword Coast! But if
you want a roast and a toast and a ghost…I don’t know.”
“You just must try the pâté du griffon at Owlbear Butcher
Shop, it is to die for! I play three dragon ante on Friday but
I’ll eat a cat any day of the week!”
“There’s probably nowhere else in Elturgard where you
can buy as many rare meats made from monsters!
Growwwwwl!!” [makes scary face/holds up claws]
“A Gibbering Mouther is disgusting to behold, but hot
damn is it delicious when the proprietor, Lora, makes it
into a sandwich! And I’d happily make you into a meal.”
Have you ever seen a stuffed Barghest? Well then you
probably haven’t been to the Owlbear Butcher Shop! Have
you ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight?”
“Lora Zurag, has been one of the best hunters of rare
beasts and monsters in Elturgard for decades. She then
prepares them into delicious food at her famous Owlbear
Butcher Shop! Wanna see my karate chop?”
60
E12. Symbril’s House
“Excellent tea and crumpets each morning! And mud
menageries at night!”
“A gathering place of important people committed to the
future Elturel. Are you important?”
“A boarding house for those of conviction who are
committed to addressing pressing local issues. So you
better check yourself before you wreck yourself!”
“Dignitaries of the Baldur’s Gate diplomatic mission are
staying there. Do you have any hidden tattoos?”
“Where the devout followers of justice stay to plant, work
and ensure a brighter tomorrow for Elturel. Get digging!”
E20. The East Docks
“Trippy, trippy, trippy magic been going down this the
past week at the East Docks. Want a tab?”
“The fireworks going out at the East Docks is a sight to
behold. The Central Pier (E20B) is near and dear to the
fear and the queer, you hear?”
“Some of the sets they are building for the Furrowbrow
wedding out at the East Docks are breathtaking woodwork,
if you like to drink fire that is.”
“A skilled magician is putting on quite a show at the East
Docks recently. He gave my daughter wings.”
“The Elturel Fish Market at the South Pier of the East
Docks has the freshest fish, the best sashimi and some of
the best pudding piddle paddle pidaddle in town!”
E22. Ragron Blacksmithing
“Orin Ragron is the best blacksmith in Elturel. I want him
to craft my sword and then eat me whole.”
[Female cultist to female PCs]: “If you happen upon
Shiarra’s Market, go stare at the strong and sweaty
blacksmith, he’s so dreamy and creamy.”
“You could go to the Hellriders Keep smiths if you know a
Hellrider, but Ragron Blacksmithing works for anybody.
Tonight I hope he works on me and you and your friends.”
“If you need a weapon, or if you just want to get hot and
bothered, check out the Orin the blacksmith—he is a sight
for sore eyes and weak legs.”
“Nobody does sword-work like Ragron at Shiarra’s
Market. Swing a sword my lord, if ya know what I mean!”
 Appendix III: Rescuing Lulu Miniatures
For Dungeon Masters who love to have the appropriate miniatures to run your campaign, here are
the suggested miniatures for the named NPCs in this adventure (unnamed NPCs are as titled).
A few of the characters in this adventure do not yet have an adequate miniature:
Will you be the one who creates them?

Miniature Set Name Abbreviation

Archfiends AF
Critical Role: Factions of Wildemount—Dwendalian Empire CRWDE
Descent into Avernus: Arkhan the Cruel and the Dark Order ACDO
Eberron Rising ER
Fangs and Talons F&T
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica GGR
Lulu & Slobberchops L&S
Monster Menagerie 1 MM1
Monster Menagerie 2 MM2
Rage of Demons ROD
Saltmarsh: Box Set 1 SMB1
Saltmarsh: Box Set 2 SMB2
Snowbound SB
Tyranny of Dragons TOD
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist WDH
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Box Set 2 WDH2
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage WDMM

Named NPCs Miniature Set & Number

Amrik Vanthampur Cult of the Dragon Enforcer TOD #20
Astercook Littleman Apprentice Wizard (wand) WDH #08B
Belevius Half Black Dragon Lord TOD #33
Bèr Nölmein Wood Elf Druid TOD #16
Brantor Stonefingers Dwarf Artificer ER #7
Brother Aamon Cackler (red) GGR #2
Brother Abaddon Cackler (paint yellow) GGR #2
Brother Achyls Cackler (paint blue) GGR #2
Dalgus Darkwater Bloody Bjorn Pirate First Mate SMB1 #4
(aka Fel’rekt Lafeen) H Rouge
Darro Voat Human Wizard ROD #14
Ernesto Papafrito Not Created Yet
(aka Doppleganger) Doppleganger TOD #15
Fergus Crabwater Sigrid “Snake Eyes” Pirate Captain SMB1 #2
(aka Velgos Ephezzrin) Drow Rogue

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 Named NPCs Miniature Set & Number
Harkina Hunt Medusa Archer
Harpito Nim WDH2
Hoebaer Incubus F&T #36
High Rider Ikaia Mind Drinker Vampire GGR #8
Iolanthe Oshrat Sun Elf Arcane Cleric WDH #22
Gideon Lightward Human Sun Soul Monk WDH #11
Lephit Ezim Human Monk MM2 #10
Lucia Griffel Gnome Inquisitive WDMM #11
Lulu Lulu (unpainted) L&S
Jarlaxel Baenre Jarlaxel Baenre WDH #38
Jaspo Quaist ROD #5
Kartra Boulderstern Jarhild Stoneforge MM1 #5
Keilier (Blue Alley) Human Storm Sorcerer WDMD #24
Kerstina Vrock AF #58
Kashara C Slayer
Lelle Not Created Yet
Manshoon Manshoon WDH #37
Marisiam Rathanda Knight AS
Merrywile Pebblechuck Halfling Rouge MM2 #4
Morrale the Beerholder Beerholder
Mirt the Moneylender Mirt the Moneylender WDH #10
Nölke Nes H Monk
Ontharr Frume Larethar Gulgrin MM1 #6
Opallita the Devout T Human Cleric
Orin Ragron Mr. Dory SMB2 #5
(aka Faltrax) Cambion SB #13
Priest of Helm (High Hall) R Priest
Pilster Pebblechuck Halfling S
Pitter Tabaxi F
Pherria Jynks Human Wizard MM2 #21
Reya Mantlemorn Reya Mantlemorn DIA #7
Steena Ryken (owlin) Not Created Yet
Strovin Ironfist Crag Ungart SKT #7
Spurnyte Mal (East Docks) Hypnos Magen (paint skin) SB #4
Spurnyte Mal (Wedding) Thayan Apprentice F&T #20
Treis Langstraat (PU) Draconblood Dragonborn CRWDE
Thavius Kreeg (before the fall) Not Created Yet
Ulder Ravengard Veteran WDMM #3
Usin Lao Illydia Maethellyn MM1 #24
Valthus Thug (paint cape black) WDMM #2
Xanathar Xanathar WDH #44
Zardoz Zord Aristocrat

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 Appendix IV: Monsters & NPCs
The following Monsters and NPCs are mostly unnamed (first names provided if applicable),
and are listed by chapter, section (where appropriate), and page number

Monster & NPCs Page # Monster & NPCs Page #

CHAPTER 1: JOURNEY TO ELTUREL Owlbear Butcher Shop

3 Cult Fanatics (Gyraya, S & R) 18
By Land 1 Golem (statue) 18
2 Spined Devils 6 1 Veteran (Lora) 18
1 Bulette 7 1 Barghest (stuffed w/ apple) 19
1 Venom Troll 7 1 Imp 19
10 Skeletons 7 Helm’s Shieldhall
2 Ghouls 7 1 Commoner (Leeandra) 19
3 Ghasts 7 1 Commoner (Ander) 19
1 Orge Zombie 7 1 Hellrider Knight (Raemon) 21
1 War Horse Skeleton 7 Maidens’ Leap (Day Two)
By Sea 12+ Cultists (street clothes) 22
1 Bosun (Noble/City Folk) 7 6 Cult Fanatics (street clothes) 22
1 Quartermaster (Nobles) 7 Hellriders Keep
15 Sailors (Commoners) 7 2 Knights (Flaming Fist) 23
3 Bandits 8 3 Teenagers (Commoners) 23
10 Orcs 8 2 Male Dwarves 24
1 Ballista 8 1 Female Knight (Lesheda) 24
1 Goblin Hucker 8 4 Hellrider Knights (training) 24
12+ Goblins (in spiked helmets) 8 2 Commoners (Luus and Maan) 24
Zarielite Response Team 4 Hellrider Knights (Armory) 24
4 Cult Fanatics 10 Symbril’s House
Order of Elturel Response Team 10+ Cultists (street clothes) 25
15 Order of the Companion Veterans 11 2 Cultists (Solfrey & Gretchen) 25
5 Hellrider Knights 11 1 Large Cultist (Tattoo Table) 25
Gardens
CHAPTER 2: EXPLORING ELTUREL 3 Teenagers (Commoners) 26
12 Commoners 26
West Gate Hight Hall
6 Order of Companion (Veterans) 13 20+ Commoners 27
Red Eye Coaster 6 Knights (blue—Elturel) 28
6 Bandits 42 6 Knights (red—Baldur’s Gate) 28
Phontyr’s Unicorn 2 Knights (Qirth & Estra) 29
3 Knights (Alfons, Dalmen, Farrio) 13 6 Order of Companion Veterans 29
1 Unicorn 14 1 Young Child (Tome) 29
1 Goristro 14 1 Male Commoner (Father) 29
1 Skittering Horror 14 Western Switchback
1 Nightwalker 14 12 Commoners 30
1 Gold Dragon 14 1 Satyr 30
West Docks Old Harvest Home
12 Commoners (Dock Workers) 17 6 Commoners (Elturgard Reps) 31
2 Scouts (Dunmar & Niri) 17 6 Commoners (Assistants) 31
10 Commoners (Bridge Tour) 32

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 Monster & NPCs Page #

A Pair of Black Antlers

3 Cultists 34
2 Half-Orcs (Bouncers) 34
4 Commoners (Dock Workers) 35
2 Gnomes (Jan & Jon) 35
1 Female Tabaxi (Ina) 35
1 Tortle (Lor) 35
1 Air Genasi (Vera) 35
1 Shadar-Kai (Mina) 35
1 Dwarf 36
4 Gnomes (cooks) 36
East Docks
12+ Commoners (Dock Workers) 37
4 Cult Fanatics 38
2 Knights (Lesheda & Raemon) 38
Hunt Quivery
S2 Children (Enzo & Brask) 39
Shiarra’s Market
3 Children (Aldegonda, Adele & Albina) 39
1 Commoner (Whilhelmina Warmoth) 39
Dragoneye Dockhouse
2 Children (Havsu & Yalayah) 41
1 Cat (Button)
Dragoneye Docks
12 Commoners (Dock Workers) 17
2 Scouts (Dunmar & Niri) 17
Dragoneye Dealing Coaster
6 Bandits 42

CHAPTER 3: BAD DAY FOR A WHITE WEDDING

Scouting from the Ground

20+ Cultists (white robes) 44
2 Carts 44
4 Cult Fanatics (back of stage) 45
Scouting from On High
5 Hawks 45
4 Commoners (homeowners) 45
L1. Edge of the Waterfalls
4 Cult Fanatics (white robes) 48
L5. Garden Streets
12 Commoners (locals, street clothes) 48
E9. Maiden’s Bridge
6 Cultists (white robes) 48
L2. Under the Stage
1 Hellrider Knight (Alfons) 49
2 Bearded Devils 49
2 Merregons 49
1 Orge 49
L3. In the Crowd
20+ Cultists (white robes) 44

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