T-D Session 6 Report

General Summary

15th of Flamerule 1492 DR
The session opened with the party stood in the courtyard of High Hall, fatigue from the early hours, coupled with two hard battles pressed down on them heavily. Duke Ravengard's six men, along with Haelee's friend Feylan held a defensive posture, whilst the party and Duke Ravengard discussed their options. Rest was top of the priority list, but which building should be secured for the night? The High Observer's Hall was the smaller building, and one that the group had recently visited. It was a barracks for the Hellriders, which could be either a pro or a con. The second choice was the Cathedral, a massive structure that is as much a citadel as it is a holy building. Defensive towers flank the large, iron barred doors. Standing over sixty feet high with three visible stories, and the whole building on an elevated position within the courtyard.
They opted for the cathedral, deciding to send Scott, Haelee, Feylan and Erric in ahead, to scout the building for danger. Princess, Ravengard and his men would hold a defensive circle on the steps leading up to the building. As the four moved past the open doors, and entered into the grand foyer, they were met with the first signs of Avernus' corruption. Artwork that at one time must have shown the religious symbology and theology of Torm, now depicted hellish displays of devilish supremacy - be that mortals giving into to temptation, damned souls being tortured, or a blind-folded, winged angel with a blazing halo.
They quickly and quietly explored the ground floor, discovering a pair of spiral staircases that ascend to the floor above. The heart of the cathedral was taken up by a large, raised dias, an altar to Torm made out of a polished teakwood. A lever at the side of the altar, depressed into an open position. Behind the altar, a stairway was revealed, the floor recessed, and flaps in the altar had retracted to provide the open access. Beyond this, three curtained off private shrines were found, all three dedicated to Torm. The south and north wings were to duty and righteousness respectively. The western private shrine had the additional symbology of the city included in its decorations - the twin suns of Elturel. At the back third of the cathedral, a second pair of staircases ascended some twenty feet to the floor above.
With the coast clear, at least on the ground floor, Erric heads back to inform Princess and Ravengard. As Erric made his way back to the entrance, Haelee thought it was a good idea for those outside in the courtyard to close the gates to the courtyard so that it was safer to explore the rest of the cathedral. Using her druidic magic, she changed the shape of the clouds of the Avernal sky above the city of Elturel to read "Close the gate". As Erric arrives, these words form in the sky. Erric explains the situation to Ravengard. The Duke instructs his men to close the gate, before they all enter the cathedral together. They move into the main central altar area, closing and locking the doors as they go. The guards form a standby defensive stance, waiting for the party to clear the rest of the cathedral.
The choice between descending into the unknown area behind the altar, or heading upstairs was made. Princess reasoned that as far as she understands, the upstairs is just lodgings for the clergy, so in a way, it may be safer as they're walking into something thats isnt entirely unknown. Furthermore, they don't know how far the stairs descend, and how deep of a maze they might find themselves in. They take one of the staircases found deeper within the cathedral, and climb the twenty feet up to the first floor. Stepping out onto the dark oaken flooring, they see a doorway that opens into a corridor that clearly leads directly to the mirrored pair of stairs. Halfway down the corridor, a second doorway opens to another corridor that runs approximately halfway down the length of the cathedral. On either side of the corridor are more doors. Clearing the first floor, a room at a time, they found modest rooms, mostly furnished to function as meeting rooms, or private prayer spaces. Whilst no life was found in these rooms, within one, Haelee heard the sound of floorboards creaking from above. Halfway down the spine of the cathedral, the corridor opened into a large landing area, to which another spiral staircase rose some twenty feet to the next floor above. Another corridor ran down to a wall, again lined with doors. The only significantly different room they found was an archive. Musty and filled with tomes and scrolls, and what stood out was that the reading table had a number of books and scrolls hastily strewn across it. Some small notes were made in a quick hand, suggesting they were looking for something hidden in the catacombs below the cathedral. With little more to go on, and the more critical objective of clearing the building, they pressed on. They noted that the corridor ended in a wall, and did not provide access to the defensive towers, nor to the large balcony they had seen from the outside.
Moving back to the middle of the first floor, to the landing and up the stairs to the top floor, the party found themselves in a warren of small rooms. Corridors that ran the outer wall fitted with decorative stained glass windows, casting the dim red light to illuminate this floor. The most pressing action was to investigate that creaking sound, and so Erric led the party to where he believed that sound to be coming from. Checking doors as they went, they found simple bedrooms, empty of occupants, mostly left ordered and tidy. They came to the doorway Erric believed was right, and there he listened. From within, he could make out the sounds of multiple voices, engaging in soft, whispered prayers. He attempted to open the door, only to find that it banged against something, blocking his entry. Audible gasps were heard from inside the room. Princess spoke up, and asked them who was inside, and told them not to worry, that they are Hellriders and here to help. Her commanding tone was able to persuade those within to dismantle their barricade, and within a few moments the doorway opened to reveal those inside.
Four individuals, Dulf, an older human, grizzled with a thick beard, wearing a leather armour vest, somewhat patchworked, but well loved. Wilhelmina, a tall and stern woman, with tightly braided hair. Her expression is unreadable, but her eyes betray her keen intelligence. Sjra, a younger human, thin and wiry. Unable to hide his nervous demeanour, eyes quickly darted about. Lastly, Vera, a woman with short, manageable hair, matching her overall practical appearance.
Princess asked them how long they've been in here for, and whether they know about the notes downstairs. Dulf spoke up, he explained that as lower rank neophytes, they'd been encouraged to take the early morning shift, and so were not out enjoying the festivities. When "the calamity" happened, they panicked and weren't sure what to do. From their vantage on the top of the cathedral, they could see that they had somehow been transported to the hells. He'd encouraged them to all gather, to barricade the door and wait for help. Wilhelmina suggested that the notes may have been made by Pherria; the higher ranked priestess was also in the cathedral this evening, but they hadn't seen or heard from her since the afternoon. The four, noting the wounds on the party, offered to use their healing magic to tend to them. They agreed, but advised them of Duke Ravengard and his men downstairs, so asked them to save some of their strength for Blur, as well as what else may be coming.
With the rest of the top floor left to quickly check, they asked the acolytes to head downstairs and they'd join with them shortly. The party then moved with less care and more hastily, covering the rest of the top floor. They found a few more shrines, and a training room for the novices, set up with training dummies, weapons racks and the like. With nothing else obvious to uncover, the party headed back downstairs and met up with Ravengard. They filled the Marshal in on what they'd found, and what is left to explore. He offered to have his men clear the last leg of the task, but the party insisted they'd finish the job.
The party make ready to descend into the catacombs, heading down the stairway behind the central altar. The steps lead some fifty feet underground, widening out to twenty feet abreast. Before they reach the bottom of the stairs, Erric stops the party, making out the sound of footsteps on gravel. He determines that it seems likely only a single individual. Expecting that it may be Pherria, and there are no other sights or sounds of trouble, they continue their descent. The stairs open out into an area illuminated by magical sconces, burning with continual flame. A number of pillars run the length of the chamber, floored by small white, decorative gravel. Small alcoves run around the walls, and within them, the obvious shapes of sarcophagi are buried into the walls. The last significant feature of note is a large hole in one of the walls that leads off into darkness.
The footsteps come from the shape of a figure in the deep red robes of Torm, somewhat slight of frame, a hefty tome slung under one arm, carefully inspecting a section of wall. Feylan calls out Pherria's name, and the woman turns around with a mixture of surprise and happiness on her face. She asks why Feylan is down here, and who his friends are. Brief introductions are made, and the woman explains that she believes there is another chamber within the catacombs. She believes that the Order of the Companion are behind Elturel's descent, and that she knows that they meet in the cathedral, but cannot find where. She'd already explored the upper floors and all that remains is the catacombs. There is also a historical record of other features in the catacombs that no longer exist, "The Tome of the Unknown Hero for instance!".
As introductions are made, Princess notices that the book Pherria is carrying is the Tome of the Creed Resolute - the most holy book in the city. The book that Hellriders and those within the Order of the Companion swear their oaths, and have their names stored within. Pherria explains that when the Companion shifted, she wanted to make sure that the book was protected, so raced to collect it. Princess thanks her for her diligence, and the two take a brief moment to pray with the book. As the party takes in the catacomb chamber, they ask Pherria about the obvious tunnel. Pherria dismisses it, explaining that it heads off into The Maze below the bluff, and as far as she's aware, it doesn't go anywhere. Her focus is finding where The Order of the Companion are meeting. Haelee and Princess join in looking over the area that Pherria is inspecting. The two notice that a five foot section has a slightly different colouration, and they make the deduction that this section of wall is newer than the rest of the wall. They find another section of wall with the same discrepancy on the mirrored side of the chamber. Failing to find a mechanism or means to part the wall, Princess' frustration explodes, slamming her fists against the wall. With inhuman strength she smashes a crack through the wall, and with a second hefty shove, breaks the wall open, revealing a corridor behind it.
The revealed corridor runs parallel to the catacomb chamber they're in, one side terminating in a wall, somewhere just short of the tunnel leading to the maze. The other direction ends in a right angled turn. This corridor also features two doorways that lead into an illuminated chamber. The party moved over the rubble, and into this chamber first. There they found an area clearly belonging to the Order of the Companion. A large table filled the room, carved with their iconography, surrounded by forty or so chairs. Artwork on the walls depicted various imagery of the same angelic form, blinded-folded, twisted in fire, with an inferno halo, one of her arms ending in a huge flail. Shelves and bookcases lined the walls, along with some documents left on the table itself. They found a sheet that listed a series of names, with linked locations and addresses. Pherria meanwhile began to look through the books. The party discussed whether this place had been transformed like the rest of the artwork, or had always been a dedication to what Princess explained was the Arch Duke of Avernus, Zariel. Then the implications of the names were brought up. On the list of names, some they recognised, such a Ulder Ravengard, and the Archmage Ber Nolmein, others they didn't; but they understood that they were clearly powerful/important people, and therefore this was likely a list of targets.
In the midst of the discussion, Pherria slumped heavily into a chair as she finished the section she was reading. She interrupted their discussion by repeating what she had found. High Watcher Naja Bellandi, in a moment of desperation when faced with the vampiric coup, made a deal with the Arch Duke Zariel. It would seem that in this deal, Zariel granted the boon of the Companion to vanquish the vampires, and in exchange on its fiftieth anniversary, the city and its people would be taken to Avernus, and once the pact completes, they will submit to Zariel's fealty and join her legions.
The realisation of the situation washed over the party, first a moment of disbelief, more at why Bellandi would make a deal with Zariel than anything else; perhaps the horrors of the vampiric coup and the deaths that came with it being lost on the current generation. Equipped now with some explanation of events, a glimmer of hope grew. The party now knew why Elturel had fallen into Avernus, and they also knew that clearly the pact had not yet been completed - for they weren't all devils yet. They made the assumption that the destruction of the pact may reverse their situation. They further assumed that the pact has two copies, with the devil's copy likely in Zariel's possession; Bellandi's on the other hand, its location unknown. Another unknown dawned on them, why some Hellriders are now devils, whereas others aren't. With these answers spurring more questions, and a countless further documents to review, Pherria advised the party to continue on. She and Feylan can work together to uncover what they can, and that they should ensure that the cathedral is safe as they can make it before they get much needed rest, "More answers will come with time, but we'll need clear heads and sharp minds to solve these riddles, and act appropriately."
The party beleaguered, pressed on to what they hoped was the final stretch. Following the angled corridors around this sealed off chamber, they noted that a lot of these chambers were far more dusty and unmaintained compared to the first burial chamber they'd met Pherria in. Before long they came to a landing area, in which a stairway ascended up into the ceiling, but also descended down ten feet to a small chamber, visible from the level they stood in. In this chamber, a raised dais of solid stone bore the body of a young woman. If it wasn't for her lack of breathing, and being unreactive to their presence or touch, she would appear to be alive. At her side, a mighty greatsword lay, still glinting in the magical illumination of her chamber, although slightly tarnished and aged. A plague on her plinth reads "For the unnamed hero, who slew the dragon and saved the villages, wherever you came from, may you eternally rest with our respect". The party, uncertain of her story, took a moment to return to Pherria for more details. The cleric gave them the short story, that many centuries ago, a red dragon was ravaging the villages outside of Elturel. An unknown young woman arrived with a mighty sword and challenged the dragon. She slew the beast without a scratch, and just as the crowds came to celebrate and rejoice her, she died on the spot. With her death came the second mystery, that her body did not rot. It's not known who she was, where she came from or why she chose to help. We believe that she was an instrument of Torm, and through his divine will, she saved the innocent, and her soul was gifted into the heavens.
With that mystery answered, at least in part, for now, they party turned back to exploring the final few chambers. There they found the buried dead from Elturel's past, heroes that were killed during the Red Coup fifty years ago, Lord Dhelt's famous retinue, and many more. Beyond areas for the dead to rest, they found rooms clearly meant for the preparations for the dead. Having cleared out the catacombs, they returned to the stairway by the unnamed hero, and climbing up it they came to a wall and a lever. Pulling the lever parted the wall, and beyond it lay the ground floor of the cathedral - and specifically behind the altar to Torm with the order of the companion symbology. They took a few minutes to explore the altar, attempting to find how to access the stairs down from the ground level, but to no avail. Giving up, and having decided that the cathedral was clear, they checked back in with Ravengard. They all agreed that a watch rotation would be set up, and since Haelee and Erric only need four hours of rest due to their elven heritage, they took the first watch. The rest took refuge in some of the vacant rooms on the top floor.
The first three hours of Haelee and Erric's watch was uneventful, they had found access to the defensive towers in the cathedral - the first set of spiral stairs they had seen when they entered, and used them as their defensive positions. Into the fourth hour, they overheard the sounds of screaming coming from beyond the walls, somewhere in the west side of the High District, and relatively close to High Hall. As the screaming stopped, there was a quake, and a lurching feeling as though falling. This sensation only lasted a short moment before passing. When they got to their feet, they hastily made their way around the Cathedral to find a better vantage point, opting to ascend to the top floor. From this height, they could make out a large structure in the High District, and from its entrance, they could see a large number of devilish forms leaving the building.
They watched these devils for as long as they could, as the fiends headed north, away from High Hall and disappearing into The Gardens. Wanting to try and keep a sight on them, Haelee and Erric headed back downstairs, left the cathedral and climbed the outer walls of High Hall. Unfortunately, even from this vantage point, they still couldn't keep track of the devils. Knowing something terrible must have just happened from that building, they discussed whether they should investigate now, or wait until later. The discussion was short, and they agreed that it would be safer and wiser to stay within the walls, and see about investigating it later.
Whilst on the walls, they take the time to survey the rest of the city. They note the legions of hell, vast formations of infernal soldiers on the red Avernal grounds far below, to the south of the city. They saw the eight chains that have the city shackled as it floats above the river flowing below it. Off to the west of the city, they could make out a purple haze emanating from the Grand Cemetery. As for the city itself, they could see buildings still ablaze, with the Dock District more engulfed anywhere else. Lastly, as they looked off into the far northern distance, beyond the city walls and out into the hellish wastes, a mountain stands tall and ugly. But as perspective shifts, and after a few moments, the mountain isn't stationary, and it isn't on the ground. A gigantic structure, ever so slowly moving through the area, moving towards the city.
With their watch up, Haelee and Erric return to the cathedral. They close and lock the doors once again, taking their turn to rest. As those who took rest before them, they find that their rations have taken on a foul taste. Whilst seemingly safe, edible and satiating, it tastes of ash, and their water flavoured with acrid astringency. The remainder of the watches continued without incident. With a total of eight hours passed, the party are as rested as they can be, ready to face the next day.

Report Date

08 Mar 2024