5etools-mirror-2.github.io/data/adventure/adventure-bgdia.json

{
	"data": [
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "About the Adventure",
			"page": 5,
			"id": "000",
			"entries": [
				"Designed for an adventuring party of four to six 1st-level characters, {@i Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus} is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure that begins in the city of Baldur's Gate and ends in Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. By the end of the adventure, the characters should be 13th level or higher. To run this adventure, you need the fifth edition {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}, {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, and {@book Monster Manual|MM}.",
				"Use the first session of the game to help your players create their 1st-level characters. As part of this process, the players can choose their party's dark secret (see \"{@area Dark Secrets|3ec|x}\").",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Adventure Overview",
					"page": 5,
					"id": "001",
					"entries": [
						"The holy city of Elturel has disappeared from the Forgotten Realms and descended into Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. This event came about as the result of an infernal bargain between the archdevil Zariel, who rules Avernus, and the treacherous High Overseer of Elturel, {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}. Zariel is capturing cities and using their citizens as fodder in the ongoing conflict between demons and devils known as the Blood War. Next on Zariel's list of cities is Elturel's neighbor, Baldur's Gate. The characters can be the heroes who descend into Avernus, save Elturel from certain destruction, and prevent a similar fate from befalling Baldur's Gate.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Trouble in Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 5,
							"id": "002",
							"entries": [
								"{@adventure Chapter 1|BGDIA|1} begins in the independent city of Baldur's Gate, where the characters find themselves trapped behind the city's walls after the gates are sealed to keep out hundreds of refugees from the neighboring land of Elturgard. However, the gates can't hold back news that Elturgard's capital has fallen, and that Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} of Baldur's Gate is missing\u2014lost on a diplomatic mission to Elturel. The fact that Elturel's misfortune coincided with Ravengard's visit has left Baldurians wondering whether Baldur's Gate will suffer Elturel's fate.",
								"The characters are drafted by the Flaming Fist, the army of mercenaries tasked with protecting Baldur's Gate. Without Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} to lead them, the Flaming Fist mercenaries are little more than glorified thugs. The characters' orders are to help maintain peace by rooting out and destroying followers of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul\u2014evil gods collectively known as the Dead Three. These vile priests, assassins, and necromancers are murdering city folk at random, and the Flaming Fist is too distracted and disorganized to hunt them down and find their lair. In the course of their investigation, the characters learn that the Dead Three cultists are secretly being financed by Thalamra Vanthampur, one of three remaining dukes who preside over the government of Baldur's Gate, using money stolen from the hoard of Tiamat, the evil queen of dragons imprisoned in the Nine Hells.",
								"With Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} out of the way, Thalamra is paying the Dead Three to shatter confidence in the Flaming Fist so that all payments to the decapitated organization can be cut off. Thalamra, a devout disciple of the archdevil Zariel, has brokered a deal that will enable her to claim the role of grand duke once the Flaming Fist disbands, paving the way for the city's descent into Avernus. To accomplish this last goal, Thalamra needs an artifact called the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}, imprisoned in which is a pit fiend named Gargauth. Until recently, the shield was sealed in a tomb under the city, but Thalamra's sons recently stole it and transported it to the dungeon below their villa. So corrupt is the shield that its mere presence in Baldur's Gate has contributed to the city's moral decay for decades.",
								"To keep Baldur's Gate from falling into Zariel's clutches, the characters must take the shield far away from the city. Reya Mantlemorn, a young knight from Elturel, suspects that the Vanthampurs are sheltering {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} at their estate and offers aid. Characters who storm Duke Vanthampur's villa find Thavius hidden in the dungeon below it. Thavius is helping Thalamra Vanthampur use the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} to bring about the fall of Baldur's Gate, in much the same fashion he used the Companion (see \"{@area The Companion|007|x}\") to doom Elturel. If the characters slay Thavius, his soul travels to the Nine Hells and re-forms as an amnizu devil on Avernus (see \"\"{@area Poor Devil: Thavius Kreeg|2b8|x}\")."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Visit to Candlekeep",
							"page": 5,
							"id": "003",
							"entries": [
								"In the course of dealing with {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} and the Vanthampur family, characters are likely to acquire the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} as well as an {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA} that they can't open. They might also liberate a spy imprisoned in Duke Vanthampur's dungeon who works for {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA}, a tiefling expert on the Nine Hells. Determined to thwart devil worshipers in positions of power throughout the Western Heartlands, Sylvira operates out of the library of Candlekeep and has spent years monitoring devil activity in Baldur's Gate, Elturel, and the surrounding region. Her spies are after the puzzle box, which is believed to contain a copy of the fiendish contract Thavius signed to seal Elturel's doom.",
								"If the characters wish to help Baldur's Gate further, they must journey to the Nine Hells and rescue {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} from what's left of Elturel. The characters are urged to seek out {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA} in Candlekeep. Sylvira knows the secret to unlocking Thavius's puzzle box. She can also facilitate the characters' descent into Avernus and provide them with a map (albeit an unreliable one). Sylvira advises characters to leave the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} in her custody. However, there are benefits to taking the shield with them, for Gargauth can guide them through the Nine Hells in ways others cannot. With or without the shield, the characters depart Candlekeep and visit Sylvira's friend, {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}, a wizard who can use the {@spell plane shift} spell to get them to Elturel. At this wizard's tower, they meet a {@creature hollyphant|BGDIA} named {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "To the Nine Hells!",
							"page": 6,
							"id": "004",
							"entries": [
								"{@adventure Chapter 2|BGDIA|2} opens with the characters' arrival in Elturel, which is anchored by enormous chains and trapped under the baleful light of the Companion. If the characters do nothing, the city will be pulled down into the River Styx and bound to the Nine Hells forever. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} tries her best to serve as the party's guide in Avernus, but the hollyphant's memories are fragmented. It becomes clear, however, that {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has a personal connection to Zariel, dating back to the archdevil's former angelic existence.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/000-qocvf-flowchart-0-1.webp"
									},
									"title": "Diagram 0.1: Adventure Flowchart",
									"width": 715,
									"height": 2000
								},
								"After scouring Elturel for survivors and clashing with the denizens of Avernus, the characters encounter the valiant {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}, who has been placed in the most unusual situation of defending a city he has long opposed. The beleaguered Ravengard urges the characters to do whatever they can to free Elturel and return what's left of it to Faerûn. To do so, they must scour Avernus for the means to destroy the Companion or break the enormous chains that shackle that city, as described in {@adventure chapter 3|BGDIA|3}.",
								"Avernus has long been a battlefield in the never-ending Blood War. Apart from clashing demons and devils, petty warlords scour the Avernian wastelands in search of treasure, salvage, and fuel for their infernal war machines. Characters who forge an alliance with one warlord risk alienating the others. By acquiring an infernal war machine, characters can travel quickly across Avernus\u2014a domain rife with tortured souls, warmongers, and devils eager to tempt would-be heroes into soul-corrupting deals.",
								"The more time she spends with the characters, the more {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} begins to remember long-lost memories of the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, an angelic weapon with the power to destroy the Companion. After Zariel's fall from grace, the sword was hidden in a stronghold called the Bleeding Citadel\u2014a celestial sanctuary trapped in Avernus. The quest for the sword forms the crux of {@adventure chapter 4|BGDIA|7}, leading to the revelation that Zariel can be redeemed.",
								"The characters' success doesn't hinge on acquiring the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} or helping Zariel find redemption, as Gargauth is quick to point out should the characters consult with him. There are other ways to free Elturel, but only if the characters are willing to cut deals with Avernus's most evil denizens. The characters might broker a deal with the deposed archdevil {@creature Bel|BGDIA}, who longs to supplant Zariel and regain his title as ruler of Avernus. They might stoke the rage of a horrific demon called {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} and trick it into gnawing through Elturel's chains. They might come to terms with an evil dragonborn paladin named {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA}, using him to broker a deal with Tiamat. By returning her stolen treasure, characters can convince Tiamat to break Elturel's chains.",
								"As tempting as such pursuits can be, the characters must be careful, for devil deals, demon lords, and Tiamat's rage number among the multiverse's greatest threats. Also, Zariel herself might become cross with the characters for daring to meddle in her diabolical affairs. How the adventure concludes depends on the choices the characters make, the chaos they foment, and the deals they forge, as discussed in {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|8}.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/001-ud5xx-00-01.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 643
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Adventure Background",
					"page": 7,
					"id": "005",
					"entries": [
						"On the plane of Mount Celestia, the angel Zariel chastised her peers for not getting involved in the Blood War. She felt that it was the responsibility of the angelic host to destroy evil in the multiverse, rather than stand back and watch demons and devils annihilate one another, destroying vast swaths of the multiverse in the process. In defiance of her superiors, Zariel left Mount Celestia and went to Elturel, where she rallied an army of warriors and trained them to fight in the Blood War. She promised them that when they were ready, she would lead them into battle on Avernus.",
						"Zariel led her army out of Elturel amid a throng of cheering well-wishers and proud citizens in 1354 DR. In an epic charge known as the Ride, Zariel's army entered Avernus and took the fight to the archdevil {@creature Bel|BGDIA} and his infernal legions. Many of Zariel's warriors fought bravely, but for others, the horrors of the Nine Hells proved too great. They fled back through the portal, sealing it behind them and never revealing their shameful retreat and betrayal. The Hellriders, as they were called, would wear this badge of shame to the grave.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Zariel's Fall",
							"page": 7,
							"id": "006",
							"entries": [
								"Zariel lost more than her army on Avernus. She also lost a hand, which was severed in battle. As her sword fell to the ground, Zariel ordered Yael, her most devoted general, to take the weapon and hide it, so that the devils would not destroy or corrupt it. Yael took the sword and fled, along with Zariel's faithful hollyphant companion, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}. Zariel's other two generals, Olanthius and Haruman, refused to leave Zariel's side. All three were captured and sent to Nessus, the lowest of the Nine Hells. There, Zariel was brought before Asmodeus, who welcomed her with open arms. The Lord of the Nine commended Zariel for her battle prowess and the strength of her convictions. He offered her rulership of Avernus, much to {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s chagrin. By swearing fealty to Asmodeus and the Nine Hells, Zariel could bring her rage to bear against the demons and continue to fight in the Blood War, with legions of devils under her command. Zariel accepted Asmodeus's terms, completing her fall from grace. Haruman followed his master into damnation willingly and was transformed into a narzugon devil, while Olanthius, who took his own life rather than bow before Asmodeus, was brought back to serve as a death knight under Zariel's burning gaze."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Companion",
							"page": 7,
							"id": "007",
							"entries": [
								"Zariel never forgot her betrayers\u2014those who ran from the battlefield. She kept a close eye on Elturel, waiting for the day when she could enact her revenge. That day came in 1444 DR, when Elturel was conquered by a vampire lord. A priest of Torm named {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} appealed to any power to help him save his holy city. In that instant, Zariel emerged from a pillar of fire and offered him a deal, which Thavius readily accepted.",
								"In the sky over Elturel, a radiant sphere called the Companion appeared, blazing like a second sun. Powered by a planetar imprisoned within it, the Companion bathed Elturel and the surrounding countryside in holy light which sent the vampire lord scrambling for the shadows and laid waste to his undead army. {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, who took credit for summoning the Companion, was hailed as the savior of the city and rose to become its high overseer. Under Kreeg's decades-long rule, Elturel embarked on a path to becoming not just a holy city but the holy nation of Elturgard."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Thavius's Betrayal",
							"page": 8,
							"id": "008",
							"entries": [
								"Thavius was told the exact time when the Companion would cease to protect Elturel. In the weeks leading up to this fateful hour, Thavius urged Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} of Baldur's Gate to visit Elturel, to help settle some longstanding disputes between the two cities. Facing political pressure at home, Ravengard reluctantly acceded. After greeting Ravengard's delegation, {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} fled Elturel in secret and watched from a safe distance as the Companion transformed from a radiant sun into a black orb awash with crackling energy. It ripped Elturel from the Material Plane, transporting it and all its inhabitants to Avernus. A few other city folk managed to escape before Elturel disappeared. Where it once stood, only a crater remains.",
								"Disguised as a refugee, {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} was one of the first of his people to arrive at Baldur's Gate with news of Elturel's \"destruction.\" He slipped through the city's gates with the help of his influential friend, Duke Vanthampur, and took refuge in her home."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Roleplaying Devils",
					"page": 8,
					"id": "009",
					"entries": [
						"As the DM, you can play devils as humorous, aloof, bombastic, conniving, or scatterbrained, but a general rule to follow is this: devils have no desire to do good. When dealing with mortals, devils are constantly figuring out how to exploit and corrupt them, often behind thin smiles of feigned concern and false charm.",
						"A devil that successfully corrupts a mortal gets the infernal equivalent of a gold star and can eagerly expect a superior to take notice and give it the promotion it so richly deserves. Meanwhile, when that mortal dies, its soul will find itself condemned to the Nine Hells where it twists into the form of a {@creature lemure} (unless it's used for some other morbid purpose). The devil doesn't care what becomes of the souls it corrupts; it just wants to be promoted to a superior form of devil. That's how, over ages, a {@creature lemure} might become a {@creature pit fiend}.",
						"But devils do more than corrupt. They also fight in the Blood War. Asmodeus attests that serving in his infernal legion is a holy honor, for in so doing a devil helps protect the multiverse from demonic destruction. While that sounds impressive, most devils partake in the Blood War only to distinguish themselves among their peers and move up the chain of command. Endlessly fighting demons isn't what most devils signed up for.",
						"If a devil dies somewhere other than the Nine Hells, it re-forms in the Nine Hells and is therefore not truly killed. However, a devil that is killed in the Nine Hells is dead forever; not surprisingly, that's why devils tend to be more cautious in their dealings at home than abroad.",
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Important References",
							"page": 8,
							"id": "00a",
							"entries": [
								"This adventure features the Nine Hells, which is described in {@book chapter 2|DMG|2|The Nine Hells} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. Devils, being the primary inhabitants of the Nine Hells, play prominent roles in this story. Before running the adventure, it's worth taking the time to familiarize yourself with the \"Devils\" entry in the {@book Monster Manual|MM}, which not only describes the most common types of devils but also explains their hierarchy, how they behave in accordance with their lawful evil alignment, what pleases and enrages them, and why they're scared of dying on their home plane.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Stat Blocks",
									"page": 8,
									"id": "00b",
									"entries": [
										"The {@book Monster Manual|MM} contains stat blocks for most of the monsters and nonplayer characters (NPCs) found in this adventure. Whenever this adventure presents a new monster or NPC, you'll find its stat block near the encounter in which it appears, or in {@adventure appendix D|BGDIA|13}. When a creature's name appears in {@b bold} type, that's a visual cue pointing you to the creature's stat block in the {@book Monster Manual|MM}. If the stat block appears elsewhere, the adventure's text tells you where to find it."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Spells and Magic Items",
									"page": 8,
									"id": "00c",
									"entries": [
										"Spells and nonmagical equipment mentioned in the adventure are described in the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}. Magic items are described in the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, unless the adventure's text directs you to an item's description in {@adventure appendix C|BGDIA|12}."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Devil Traits",
							"page": 8,
							"id": "00d",
							"entries": [
								"Common traits among devils include the following:",
								"{@b Charm}. Devils are consummate charmers. Like humans, some are better at it than others. The good ones savor the exchange of pleasantries, speaking in measured sentences or noticing pleasant details about the environment or a character's clothing.",
								"{@b Patience}. Devils are rarely in a rush to make a deal or sign a contract. As masters of the long con, devils make genuinely good deals with mortals to buy appreciation and trust that can be leveraged during more consequential dealings later on.",
								"{@b Civility}. Devils like to pretend that they run by the same rules and obey the same social conventions as mortals. Devils have no problem appearing and acting in whatever manner they need to achieve their end goal\u2014usually a contract for services or a soul. They've learned that more can be gained from behaving in a civilized manner than reacting angrily or violently.",
								"{@b Deviousness}. Devils don't age, so there's rarely a sense of urgency with a devil as it plots its conquest or corruption of a soul. This allows for winding schemes that are rarely what they seem on the surface. For minor devils, a simple acceptance of an evil gift is enough, while greater devils enjoy tangling up characters in choices that compromise their values.",
								"{@b Unscrupulousness}. Being evil and soulless, a devil cannot be embarrassed or shamed, doesn't feel guilt or remorse, and is prepared to do the most heinous acts to get what it wants.",
								"{@b Fear of Demotion}. A devil that disappoints a superior can be demoted, whereupon it's instantly transformed into a lesser form of devil. The greater the devil, the more it fears demotion and the loss of its power. Thus, a devil takes great pains to hide its failures or pin them on someone else."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Life in the Nine Hells",
					"page": 9,
					"id": "00e",
					"entries": [
						"Much of the adventure takes place on the first layer of the Nine Hells. This is not, to put it mildly, your run-of-the-mill D&D setting. The following tips and tricks can help you make the characters' stay in Avernus a remarkable one.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Everyone's Unhappy",
							"page": 9,
							"id": "00f",
							"entries": [
								"The Nine Hells is a place of abject misery where no one is happy. Weaker devils are exploited and tormented by their superiors. Stronger devils live in constant fear of being passed over for promotion or demoted. Even when something seems to go right, joy is fleeting and only fuels suspicion that things are about to get much worse. Such inescapable pessimism leads many creatures to become apathetic and spiteful. They take perverse delight in spreading their unhappiness like a contagion.",
								"You can remind players that the Nine Hells is a place of misery and suffering in the following ways:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"In conversations with the characters, natives of the Nine Hells like to bemoan their misfortune and blame others for their horrible lives.",
										"When a character accomplishes something, you can undercut that success in some small way. For example, the character's belt might snap, or a hellish insect might sting the character on the neck and leave a welt.",
										"If a character rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll made with a nonmagical weapon, you can decide that the weapon breaks."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Everything's Awful",
							"page": 9,
							"id": "010",
							"entries": [
								"Avernus is insidious in the way it fosters greed and makes visitors pay or barter for the things they need to survive. Most of the wildlife on Avernus is not edible to mortals, and most sources of water are poisonous or otherwise tainted. The rarity of edible food and drinkable water encourages hoarding behavior.",
								"You can remind players about the awfulness of Avernus in the following ways:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Any food or drink the characters bring with them or conjure by magic retains its nutritional value but tastes awful when eaten or imbibed on Avernus. The food tastes like ash, the water tastes like bile, and the wine tastes like spoiled milk.",
										"If the characters want something that tastes good, they must buy it from licensed sellers such as {@creature Mahadi the rakshasa|BGDIA}, who runs a restaurant called Infernal Rapture (see \"{@area Infernal Rapture|2a1|x}\"). The price of a good-tasting meal is always a bit too high.",
										"If a character commits a selfish act, you can reward that selfishness by granting that character inspiration (as described in {@book chapter 4|PHB|4|Inspiration} of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}). Unlike regular inspiration, the benefit can't be transferred to another creature."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Paradise Lost",
							"page": 9,
							"id": "011",
							"entries": [
								"Before the Blood War reduced it to a blasted wasteland, Avernus was a honey trap created by Asmodeus, a paradise of infinite delights designed to lure and enrapture mortals. Fragments of this lost paradise still plunge from Avernus's sky as burning meteors, and the land is dotted with the ruins of palaces and idyllic gardens that were obscenely beautiful in eons past.",
								"Fleeting reminders of this ancient paradise can come to the characters in the following ways:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"While traveling across Avernus, the characters glimpse a fantastic mirage: a grand palace or garden oasis that vanishes when they get within 100 feet of it.",
										"A random character hears beautiful music or laughter, catches the scent of flowers or perfume, or experiences a gentle caress. The sensation has no discernible source and fades after a few moments.",
										"The characters find a relic that survived the fall of paradise, such as a beautiful vase or toppled statue. The first character to touch the relic experiences a fleeting moment of pure joy."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Anywhere is Everywhere",
							"page": 9,
							"id": "012",
							"entries": [
								"Geography warps at the whims of the Nine Hells. One of the liberating aspects of this planar feature is that you don't need to be fastidious about keeping track of where locations are in relation to one another.",
								"While the spatial distortion can be unsettling to visitors, it affords you the following benefits as a DM:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"You can decide how long it takes for characters to get from one place to the next. For example, the characters might need to travel 6 miles to get from Fort Knucklebone to Haruman's Hill, and 60 miles to get from Haruman's Hill back to Fort Knucklebone.",
										"If the characters are in a rush to get somewhere, an {@creature imp} could appear out of nowhere and, for the price of a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} or other valuable item, show them a shortcut that halves the distance the characters must travel to reach their destination.",
										"The Wandering Emporium (see \"{@area The Wandering Emporium|297|x}\") can show up almost anywhere in the Nine Hells, at any time. If the players don't know where to go or what to do next, or if you want to surprise them with fun roleplaying opportunities, have the Wandering Emporium arrive at the party's location, regardless of where they saw it last."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "That Personal Touch",
							"page": 9,
							"id": "013",
							"entries": [
								"There are simple ways in which you can tailor the adventure to make Avernus an even more hellish place for your particular band of adventurers. Consider using the following methods to customize your party's experience:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Learn what scares the characters. At the start of the adventure, ask each player to provide you with a note of three things their character fears. Save these until the party reaches the Nine Hells, then use them to customize the terrors that populate Avernus.",
										"Keep a list of the flaws that the players selected when they first created their characters, so that you can remind the players of these faults when situations arise to test them. For example, a character with the Folk Hero background might have the flaw, \"I'm quick to assume that someone is trying to cheat me.\" Let the player wrestle with this flaw during negotiations with devils and other denizens of Avernus."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities",
			"page": 10,
			"id": "014",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/002-dbn8x-01-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1000,
					"height": 651
				},
				"Baldur's Gate began as a harbor town where traders would meet with \"ghost lighters\"\u2014folk along the Sword Coast who used lights to lure fogbound ships to shore. When those ships ran aground, the ghost lighters would scavenge the wrecks and haul their plundered goods to Baldur's Gate, nestled on the north shore of a bend in the River Chionthar, and sell their booty. In the years since, Baldur's Gate has grown into a walled city. Today, its foggy streets run red with the blood of unfortunates who fall prey to evil opportunists, many of whom count themselves as nobles, traders, pirates, and assassins. An army of mercenary soldiers called the Flaming Fist keeps order in the city, and these soldiers answer to Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}. The members of the Flaming Fist don't care about justice; they crave power and coin, nothing else. But despite the Fist's reputation for cruelty, the Grand Duke is widely regarded as an honorable and reasonable man.",
				"The city of Elturel, capital of Elturgard, is located much farther inland along the River Chionthar. Whereas Baldur's Gate has a well-earned reputation for being a nest of vipers, Elturel is seen as a beacon of faith, order, and high culture. The two cities have endured a long, bitter rivalry that originated when Baldur's Gate began stealing cargo and coin from ships heading to and from Elturel, stifling that city's sea trade. Though the conflicts between Baldur's Gate and Elturel have always fallen short of open warfare, relations between the cities have been tense for a long time\u2014too long, some would say.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Fall of Elturel",
					"page": 10,
					"id": "015",
					"entries": [
						"A tenday ago, Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} left Baldur's Gate with a company of Flaming Fist soldiers on a diplomatic mission to Elturel, accepting a formal invitation from Elturel's High Overseer, {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}. Ravengard did not go eagerly, however. It took months of persuasion by his fellow dukes\u2014the other three members of Baldur's Gate's ruling Council of Four\u2014to convince him to accept Elturel's invitation and leave the city in their capable hands. {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA} was especially convincing, having gathered petitions from the nobility as well as leaders of the common rabble.",
						"Not long after Ravengard arrived in Elturel, the city was dragged down into the Nine Hells\u2014wiped off the map. Given the distance between the two cities, it's no surprise that the residents of Baldur's Gate didn't hear of Elturel's fate until refugees from Elturgard starting arriving in droves. Rumors concerning Elturel's disappearance spread like wildfire, stoking fears that Baldur's Gate might be next. At the same time, panic swept through the ranks of the Flaming Fist, which suddenly found itself without a strong leader.",
						"In the grand duke's absence, the government of Baldur's Gate continues to function under the three remaining dukes\u2014Belynne Stelmane, Dillard Portyr, and Thalamra Vanthampur. Duke Portyr has gone so far as to recall his niece, Liara Portyr, from her post as commander of the Flaming Fist at Fort Beluarian in Chult, in the hopes that she can keep the Flaming Fist in check. However, it will take time for her ship to arrive. Meanwhile, refugees from Elturgard continue to arrive with dire claims that nothing remains of Elturel except a crater in the ground.",
						"Among those fleeing Elturgard are several Hellriders\u2014paladins who have sworn oaths to defend Elturel. Those warriors escaped the city's fate only because they weren't in Elturel when it fell, and the Flaming Fist has taken to arresting them on sight, lest they try to stir up trouble in Baldur's Gate. The Hellriders are not going quietly, however, leading to violence and bloodshed."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Evil in Baldur's Gate",
					"page": 11,
					"id": "016",
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/003-krifv-flowchart-1-1.webp"
							},
							"title": "Diagram 1.1: Chapter 1 Flowchart",
							"width": 701,
							"height": 2000
						},
						"Without {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} to stay their hand, Flaming Fist captains are brutally exercising their autonomy under the veneer of maintaining order. They've closed the outer gates to keep Baldur's Gate safe from the refugee \"threat,\" effectively trapping Baldurians behind their own walls. With the Flaming Fist distracted by the refugee crisis, city folk are being hunted and murdered in the streets by cultists of the Dead Three\u2014the evil gods Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul. Without the Flaming Fist to curtail them, these cultists have grown bold and now move freely within the city, their activities financed and supported in secret by {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}.",
						"Among the first refugees to arrive at Baldur's Gate was none other than {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, the architect of Elturel's doom. Duke Vanthampur is sheltering Kreeg in the dungeon beneath her villa until such time as Baldur's Gate suffers the same fate as Elturel. Like Kreeg, the Vanthampur family is firmly in debt to Zariel, the archdevil of Avernus. Using money purloined from Tiamat's hoard by Zariel's minions on Avernus, Duke Vanthampur hired Dead Three cultists to stir up trouble while her sons stole the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} from a tomb beneath the city. Using the power of this magic shield, Duke Vanthampur and {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} believe they can bring about the downfall of Baldur's Gate in much the same way the Companion was used against Elturel. The shield binds the essence of a powerful devil named Gargauth, whose presence in Baldur's Gate has fomented much of the evil that lurks in the hearts of the city's residents.",
						"To save Baldur's Gate, the adventurers must defeat the Dead Three cultists, track down their evil financiers, wrest the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} from Duke Vanthampur, and pursue Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} into the Nine Hells."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Running This Chapter",
					"page": 11,
					"id": "017",
					"entries": [
						"{@adventure Diagram 1.1|BGDIA|1|Evil in Baldur's Gate} is a flowchart that presents the key events of this chapter in sequence. The adventurers begin as 1st-level characters, advancing to 2nd level if they survive the encounter in {@area Elfsong Tavern|01d|x} and 3rd level after conquering the {@area dungeon of the Dead Three|03a|x}. The challenges they must overcome at the {@area Low Lantern|080|x} and {@area Vanthampur Villa|096|x} are great enough to advance them to 4th level. After conquering the sewer complex {@area below the villa|0be|x} and obtaining valuable information at {@area Candlekeep|0f1|x}, the characters advance to 5th level before entering the Nine Hells in {@adventure chapter 2|BGDIA|2}."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "The Basilisk Gate",
					"page": 12,
					"id": "018",
					"entries": [
						"Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to your players to begin the adventure:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "019",
							"entries": [
								"Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a veritable nest of rats and vipers clinging to the rocky slopes overlooking the Chionthar River. From their high perches in the Upper City, the local nobles\u2014known as patriars\u2014gaze down with veiled contempt upon the common rabble in the grimy Lower City, which hugs the foggy harbor. The whole of Baldur's Gate reeks of blood, crime, and opportunity. One can easily fathom why pirates and traders are drawn to this place like flies to a carcass.",
								"Following the river farther east would eventually lead you to Elturel, capital of the holy land of Elturgard\u2014or at least that was the case until a few days ago. The flood of refugees from Elturel has gotten worse since news first arrived that the city has fallen. Everyone is saying Baldur's Gate is next, but no one truly knows who or what has claimed Elturel.",
								"The patriars pay a mercenary army called the Flaming Fist to protect their interests in Baldur's Gate, and by extension, the city itself. The Flaming Fist has gained even more power since their charismatic leader, {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}, claimed the title of Grand Duke a few years ago. Apparently, Ravengard is missing. In his absence, the Flaming Fist has sealed the city's gates to staunch the flow of refugees. No one is allowed in or out.",
								"All of this was brought to your attention shortly after you were drafted by the Flaming Fist to help defend the city. Your orders are to speak to Captain Zodge at the Basilisk Gate, which pierces the city's eastern wall and takes its name from the various statues that rest in its niches and perch atop its battlements. Unseen beyond the sealed Basilisk Gate, a dirt road stretches through the Outer City slums to the bridge known as Wyrm's Crossing, then to distant realms beyond.",
								"Dozens of Flaming Fist soldiers are trying to control an angry mob of commoners eager to leave the city. Armed with only a vague description of Captain Zodge\u2014a tall man with long black hair and a leather eye patch\u2014it takes you a while to find him. A fight breaks out between soldiers and commoners, and you finally spot the one-eyed captain as he wades into the fray and begins throwing punches. Just another day in the City of Blood."
							]
						},
						"An influx of Elturgardian refugees coupled with uncertainty regarding the fate of Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} has convinced Captain Darmin Zodge, a lawful evil human {@creature veteran}, to prove himself worthy of leading the Flaming Fist\u2014lest some rival seize the opportunity in the days ahead. Zodge also knows that Liara Portyr, who commands the Flaming Fist stronghold of Fort Beluarian in Chult, has been recalled to Baldur's Gate by her uncle, Duke Dillard Portyr. Zodge hopes to impress Commander Portyr with his ability to maintain the peace in Baldur's Gate until her arrival.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/004-sbxtc-01-02.webp"
							},
							"title": "Flaming Fist Coat of Arms",
							"width": 880,
							"height": 1000
						},
						"Although Zodge lacks common decency, he cares for the well-being of the soldiers who serve under his command. Angry mobs can be dangerous, and Zodge is quick to take out the instigators so that the mob's anger turns to fear quickly. No one is arrested during the fracas the characters observe, but several commoners are beaten and robbed of their money pouches after a brief skirmish with Zodge and his soldiers. Express to the players that their characters would not be surprised by Zodge's handling of the situation. Flaming Fist captains have tremendous latitude when it comes to keeping the peace in Baldur's Gate, especially in the Lower City.",
						"It's widely known that the best way to deal with Flaming Fist soldiers is to bribe them. Those who can afford to pay a bribe of 10 gp or more (instead of the usual gate fee of 2 cp) are allowed passage through a gate after a bit of haggling.",
						{
							"type": "gallery",
							"images": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/005-0pnlf-map-1-1-dm.webp"
									},
									"title": "Map 1.1: Baldur's Gate",
									"width": 2133,
									"height": 1371,
									"imageType": "map",
									"grid": {
										"type": "none"
									},
									"id": "1a8"
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/006-q2wdo-map-1-1-player.webp"
									},
									"title": "Player Version",
									"width": 2550,
									"height": 1650,
									"imageType": "mapPlayer",
									"grid": {
										"type": "none"
									},
									"mapParent": {
										"id": "1a8",
										"autoScale": true
									}
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Meeting Captain Zodge",
							"page": 12,
							"id": "01a",
							"entries": [
								"Captain Zodge is expecting the characters. If they choose not to speak with him, he tracks them down eventually. The Flaming Fist has contacts throughout the city, so hiding from Zodge is difficult unless the characters know someone who can shelter them. Zodge keeps six Flaming Fist soldiers (human {@creature Veteran||veterans}) near him at all times. Their names are Issio, Minaqua, Nelestree, Oliver, Soltus, and Thalkara.",
								"When he's not flexing his military muscle or taking bribes, Captain Zodge presents himself as a forthright, level-headed man who treats others with the respect he demands in return. When the characters are ready to hear what he has to say, read the following boxed text aloud to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "01b",
									"entries": [
										"\"The refugee crisis,\" says Captain Zodge, \"has stoked fears that Baldur's Gate might suffer the same fate as Elturel, of which nothing remains but a hole in the ground, apparently. Our grand duke, {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}, was visiting Elturel on a diplomatic mission when the city was destroyed. Coincidence? I think not.",
										"\"The knights of Elturgard call themselves Hellriders. A few of them escaped the destruction and think we're somehow to blame for Elturel's downfall. What a bunch of self-righteous rabble-rousers! We're arresting them on sight, but that's left us shorthanded to deal with another problem. For that, I need your help.\""
									]
								},
								"Captain Zodge won't accept any refusal of his offer. The Flaming Fist is empowered to draft adventurers in times of emergency. He can execute them on the spot for refusing to help, though he would rather they accept. He gives each character a copper badge that bears the Flaming Fist's coat of arms. These badges give the characters license to act in Zodge's name.",
								"Read the following boxed text aloud when the characters are ready to hear more:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "01c",
									"entries": [
										"\"Baldur's Gate has long been plagued by followers of the Dead Three\u2014the gods Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul. I thought we had wiped them out, but apparently not. These purveyors of fear and death are taking advantage of the current crisis to commit murder sprees throughout the city. As my appointed deputies in this matter, you'll have license to kill these wretches on sight. Find their lair, and wipe it out. Eliminate anyone who gets in your way, and don't worry about collateral damage.",
										"\"If you do what I say, I'll see that you each receive two hundred gold pieces in addition to my gratitude, which is worth considerably more.",
										"\"A few blocks from the Basilisk Gate is Elfsong Tavern. A spy named Tarina hangs out there, gathering rumors for the Guild. She owes me a favor, so tell her you work for me. Ask her what she knows about the Dead Three. And, for the love of Balduran, be nice. Tarina has dangerous friends.\""
									]
								},
								"When a tenday passes without any reports of attacks by followers of the Dead Three, Zodge secures the funds to pay the characters, upholding his end of the agreement. He collects their badges before paying them.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/007-jnifm-01-03.webp"
									},
									"title": "When the fog clears, Baldur's Gate shines on the shores of the Chionthar River",
									"width": 5025,
									"height": 3338
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Elfsong Tavern",
					"page": 16,
					"id": "01d",
					"entries": [
						"The characters can either visit Elfsong Tavern in accordance with Captain Zodge's wishes or do whatever else they please. Their goals at the tavern are to make contact with a spy named Tarina and find out what she knows about the Dead Three.",
						"Zodge has spies who keep him informed on the characters' progress. If the characters don't visit Elfsong Tavern within forty-eight hours of receiving their orders, Zodge sends a squad of six Flaming Fist {@creature Veteran||veterans} and one {@creature flameskull} to escort the characters to the tavern, kill anyone who refuses to go, and report back to him. If the characters destroy or escape this squad, Zodge mobilizes two more squads to hunt them down.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "About the Tavern",
							"page": 16,
							"id": "01e",
							"entries": [
								"Elfsong Tavern's location is marked on {@5etools map 1.1|img/adventure/BGDIA/005-0pnlf-map-1-1-dm.webp}, while {@5etools map 1.2|img/adventure/BGDIA/008-awf96-map-1-2-dm.webp} shows its interior.",
								"From time to time, the disembodied voice of a female elf fills the tavern with a melancholy song, giving the establishment its name. The ballad isn't loud enough to disrupt conversation, but most patrons stop speaking when the elfsong begins, then resume only after it ends. Many customers frequent the tavern in the hopes of hearing it. Those who speak Elvish can understand the lyrics, which lament an unnamed lover lost at sea. No one is sure how the spirit came to haunt the tavern, just as no one can predict when it will sing again.",
								"Alan Alyth, the tavern's current owner and proprietor, is a neutral half-elf {@creature commoner} with {@sense darkvision} out to a range of 60 feet. Alan recently turned seventy-five years old and has run the establishment for decades. His elven blood through his half-elf mother has kept him alive this long, and keeps him looking better than most full-blooded humans his age. He runs a moneylending business on the side, offering loans to customers he trusts. He rarely gives loans to adventurers, knowing how flighty they can be, but he might offer them a free glass of elverquisst wine if he thinks it'll keep their swords sheathed (see the \"Taverns in Baldur's Gate\" sidebar).",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Taverns in Baldur's Gate",
									"page": 16,
									"id": "01f",
									"entries": [
										"No wise person walks the streets of Baldur's Gate or enters one of its taverns without a weapon or an armed escort. Anyone who has lived in the city for more than a tenday knows this from experience. Taverns might appear safe at a glance, but they are among the most dangerous places in Baldur's Gate\u2014full of alcohol, tempting coin, and unscrupulous people. Volothamp Geddarm, a notorious raconteur known for his tavern reviews, encapsulates his Baldur's Gate experience as \"hard on the stomach, especially when someone sticks a knife in there.\" Customers are expected to look after themselves when fights break out, and one shouldn't expect any help or sympathy from the Flaming Fist. Tavern murders are common, and usually end with the poor victim being dragged away and either left in an alley (to be picked clean by urchins, then eaten by rats) or tossed in the harbor.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Baldur's Bones",
											"page": 16,
											"id": "020",
											"entries": [
												"Baldur's Bones is a popular dice game in the taverns of Baldur's Gate. Each player requires several six-sided dice. The rules are as follows:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"Each player puts the agreed ante in the pot.",
														"Each player rolls three dice. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table, with the host of the game going last.",
														"On their turn, a player can choose to \"stand\" or \"roll.\" If the player stands, the next player can take a turn. A player who rolls takes an additional die and rolls it. If the total of their dice exceeds 21, they \"bust\" and are out of the game. Otherwise they can keep rolling additional dice until they either stand or break.",
														"After everyone has had a turn, the highest point total (excluding players who busted) wins the game and takes the pot."
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Tavern Patrons",
							"page": 16,
							"id": "021",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters come to Elfsong Tavern in search of Captain Zodge's contact, Tarina, they find her playing cards upstairs in {@area area E7|029|x}. Among the dozens of other patrons, they notice a few rats scurrying around as well as the following noteworthy NPCs, who play no part in the adventure but can be brought into the story as you see fit:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Skrawldar Fane (neutral human {@creature commoner}), a punch-drunk shipwright with no eyebrows",
										"Lala Stout (neutral evil lightfoot halfling {@creature spy}), a scar-faced burglar flipping a coin",
										"Oloric Witmirth (neutral good human {@creature commoner}), an impoverished playwright who scribbles his private thoughts and observations in a small book",
										"Whaul Nightley (neutral half-orc {@creature thug} with {@sense darkvision} out to a range of 60 feet), a jovial, strong-jawed rat-catcher with a bellowing laugh",
										"Rahima Sajiressa (lawful neutral human {@creature acolyte} of Savras, god of divination and fate), a gregarious astrologer who loves to gamble",
										"Willow Brownbug (neutral good strongheart halfling {@creature druid}), a snooty apothecary wearing a colorful cape"
									]
								},
								"If the characters need help finding Tarina, a tavern regular, they are directed to the second floor (see \"{@area Dealing with Tarina|032|x}\").",
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/008-awf96-map-1-2-dm.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 1.2: Elfsong Tavern",
											"width": 7891,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 217,
												"offsetX": -155,
												"offsetY": -159
											},
											"id": "329",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "028",
													"points": [
														[
															735,
															70
														],
														[
															735,
															680
														],
														[
															3060,
															680
														],
														[
															3060,
															70
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "026",
													"points": [
														[
															500,
															737
														],
														[
															500,
															1105
														],
														[
															900,
															1105
														],
														[
															900,
															737
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "027",
													"points": [
														[
															80,
															727
														],
														[
															80,
															1542
														],
														[
															455,
															1542
														],
														[
															455,
															727
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "023",
													"points": [
														[
															977,
															742
														],
														[
															977,
															1172
														],
														[
															522,
															1172
														],
														[
															522,
															2392
														],
														[
															948,
															2392
														],
														[
															1116,
															2560
														],
														[
															1551,
															2560
														],
														[
															1727,
															2384
														],
														[
															3042,
															2384
														],
														[
															3042,
															742
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "025",
													"points": [
														[
															3095,
															730
														],
														[
															3095,
															1552
														],
														[
															3702,
															1552
														],
														[
															3702,
															730
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "024",
													"points": [
														[
															1820,
															2460
														],
														[
															1820,
															2835
														],
														[
															3047,
															2835
														],
														[
															3047,
															2460
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "02d",
													"points": [
														[
															4852,
															72
														],
														[
															4852,
															690
														],
														[
															6310,
															690
														],
														[
															6310,
															72
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "02c",
													"points": [
														[
															4197,
															735
														],
														[
															5010,
															735
														],
														[
															5010,
															1970
														],
														[
															4632,
															1970
														],
														[
															4632,
															1560
														],
														[
															4197,
															1560
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "029",
													"points": [
														[
															5070,
															735
														],
														[
															5070,
															1982
														],
														[
															7167,
															1982
														],
														[
															7167,
															735
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "02f",
													"points": [
														[
															6365,
															70
														],
														[
															6365,
															677
														],
														[
															7170,
															677
														],
														[
															7170,
															70
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "02b",
													"points": [
														[
															5075,
															2050
														],
														[
															5877,
															2050
														],
														[
															5877,
															2385
														],
														[
															5657,
															2595
														],
														[
															5260,
															2590
														],
														[
															5075,
															2415
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "02a",
													"points": [
														[
															5937,
															2035
														],
														[
															5937,
															2850
														],
														[
															7167,
															2850
														],
														[
															7167,
															2035
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "030",
													"points": [
														[
															7222,
															732
														],
														[
															7222,
															1550
														],
														[
															7817,
															1550
														],
														[
															7817,
															732
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/008-awf96-map-1-2-dm.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/009-hc2oz-map-1-2-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 166,
												"offsetX": 75,
												"offsetY": -4
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "329",
												"autoScale": true
											}
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Tavern Locations",
							"page": 16,
							"id": "022",
							"entries": [
								"The following area descriptions are keyed to map 1.2.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E1. Taproom",
									"page": 16,
									"id": "023",
									"entries": [
										"Alan Alyth tends bar while two young men (human {@creature Commoner||commoners}) named Falten and Yimiur take orders, deliver drinks and food to tables, and joke with the clientele. Flanking the entrance are two bouncers: a suit of {@creature animated armor} called Klank and a gruff female {@creature Half-Ogre (Ogrillon)||half-ogre} named Skoona. Both are here to protect the other staff members, not the patrons, and won't break up a fight unless a staff member is involved.",
										"Well-armed patrons ({@creature Commoner||commoners} and {@creature Thug||thugs} mostly) huddle around tables in the main room and in private booths. Three padded chairs are angled toward a fireplace on the east wall, underneath the creaky wooden staircase that climbs to the second floor. Some drunk is usually passed out on the couch against the north wall. Next to the couch sits a wooden sea chest that contains an assortment of games (Dragonchess boards, well-used decks of Three-Dragon Ante cards, and so on)."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E2. Lounge",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "024",
									"entries": [
										"Although smoking is allowed anywhere in Elfsong Tavern, this lounge is a favorite hangout for members of a local smokers' club called the Puffer Fishers. Most of the club members are local fishers and crab catchers."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E3. Private Dining Room",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "025",
									"entries": [
										"This room is called the Green Dragon Room for the mounted head of a young green dragon that hangs on the south wall."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E4. Storage Alcove",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "026",
									"entries": [
										"Crates of fruit, barrels of fresh water, and casks of syrup and oil are kept here."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E5. Storeroom",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "027",
									"entries": [
										"This room contains crates of foodstuffs and spices, in addition to cleaning rags, brooms, broken chairs, and tools for repairing furniture."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E6. Kitchen",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "028",
									"entries": [
										"Alan Alyth employs three cooks ({@creature Commoner||commoners}) to prepare meals: a cheery strongheart halfling executive chef named Chenna Fatrabbit, a testy human sous chef named Azar Valsheem, and a blind human pastry chef named Klav Martilmur. They work from highsun to midnight. Their specialties are fish cakes, crab cakes, a thick cheese-and-potato soup, and loaf pudding soaked in syrup and decorated with lightly salted almonds."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E7. Upstairs Dining Room",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "029",
									"entries": [
										"Lit lanterns hang from the rafters in this windowless room. Rugs cover the wooden floor and help dampen the noise from drunken patrons gathered around two large tables, eating and playing games of Baldur's Bones (see the \"{@area Taverns in Baldur's Gate|01f|x}\" sidebar).",
										"One of the individuals seated at the table nearest the stairs is Tarina, the NPC whom the characters seek (see \"{@area Dealing with Tarina|032|x}\")."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E8. Private Dining Room",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "02a",
									"entries": [
										"This room is called the Umber Hulk Room after the mounted head of an umber hulk hanging on the east wall."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E9. Fancy Guest Suite",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "02b",
									"entries": [
										"This room is currently unoccupied, and its door is locked. In addition to a key he loans to guests, Alan has a master key that unlocks the door. Picking the lock requires {@item thieves' tools|phb} and a successful DC 10 Dexterity check.",
										"The richly appointed room contains velvet curtains, framed paintings of ships, a canopied bed, a night table, a sea chest, and a wardrobe. The door to the west opens up to a private dining room."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E10. Private Dining Room",
									"page": 17,
									"id": "02c",
									"entries": [
										"The mounted head of a displacer beast hangs on the east wall near a small armoire to inspire this area's name: the Displacer Beast Room."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E11. Large Guest Room",
									"page": 18,
									"id": "02d",
									"entries": [
										"This room contains an unusual guest: a {@creature sahuagin priestess} named Oshalla. She wears a cloak made from fishing nets, and speaks Common and Sahuagin. She was exiled from the depths for plotting a coup against her king.",
										"Oshalla keeps to herself and has her meals brought to her three times per day. The door to her room is locked, and she wears the key on a cord around her neck. Alan has a master key that also unlocks the door. Picking the lock requires {@item thieves' tools|phb} and a successful DC 10 Dexterity check.",
										"In addition to a bed, night table, and chest, this room contains a desk, a chair, several paintings of coastal and underwater scenes, a portable bathtub, and a ten-foot-long, eight-foot tall bookcase that holds Oshalla's collection of trinkets collected from the ocean (shells, barnacle-covered skulls, and the like). Oshalla doesn't allow the tavern staff to clean her room or refresh the water in the tub, so both are filthy.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 18,
											"id": "02e",
											"entries": [
												"Characters who search the desk drawer find a sharkskin pouch containing 66 gp and 49 sp, which Oshalla uses to pay for food and shelter. Resting against the south wall is a small wooden chest that contains a shrine to Sekolah, the shark god worshiped by sahuagin. The chest's interior is lined with shark teeth and contains a 5-pound coral sculpture of Sekolah with red pearls for eyes (worth 250 gp as an art object)."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E12. Plain Guest Rooms",
									"page": 18,
									"id": "02f",
									"entries": [
										"The doors to these two rooms are locked. In addition to keys he loans to guests, Alan has a master key that unlocks both doors. Picking either lock requires {@item thieves' tools|phb} and a successful DC 10 Dexterity check.",
										"Each room contains a cozy bed, an empty wooden chest, and curtains on the window."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "E13. Alan's Bedroom",
									"page": 18,
									"id": "030",
									"entries": [
										"Alan carries a master key that unlocks the door to his private bedroom. Picking the lock requires {@item thieves' tools|phb} and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.",
										"Alan's room contains a bed with an ornate iron frame, a claw-footed chest, a night table, and a wardrobe. Splayed out on the floor in front of the wardrobe is a {@creature rug of smothering} that attacks anyone other than Alan who steps on it or opens the chest.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 18,
											"id": "031",
											"entries": [
												"The chest's interior is divided into three equal-sized compartments containing 91 gp, 176 sp, and 288 cp, respectively. Alan uses this money to pay his staff and maintain the tavern."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dealing with Tarina",
							"page": 18,
							"id": "032",
							"entries": [
								"Tarina is a chaotic evil human {@creature bandit} with a conniving mind. She plays regular games of Baldur's Bones (see the \"{@area Taverns in Baldur's Gate|01f|x}\" sidebar) with a coterie of local dimwits at a table in {@area area E7|029|x}. Her fellow gamblers don't realize she cheats.",
								"\"Tarina\" is not a real name, of course. Before retiring to Baldur's Gate, Tarina was a pirate known as Rhonda Thunderbell (also not her real name). After serving Captain Murosko Sessprin of the {@i Uncivil Serpent} faithfully for months, she stole loot from her fellow pirates and fled before they could stop her. Most of that loot has been spent in recent years, though Tarina has enough squirreled away to ensure she never goes hungry. She's also in good standing with Nine-Fingers, guildmaster of the local thieves' guild, who gives her occasional work.",
								"Tarina recently heard a rumor that her former shipmates had tracked her to Baldur's Gate. She agrees to help the characters if they stay at Elfsong Tavern to see if the pirates to show up, then kill them all.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Killing Time in the Tavern",
									"page": 18,
									"id": "033",
									"entries": [
										"Exactly when Tarina's former associates arrive is up to you, but the characters should have a bit of free time before they appear (as described in \"{@area With Friends Like These|035|x}\"). Characters who loiter in the tavern can overhear patrons talking about the current happenings in Baldur's Gate and the rumors from Elturel:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"\"I'll bet my last copper piece that those so-called refugees are advanced scouts for an army that's preparing to attack Baldur's Gate!\"",
												"\"The Flaming Fist is decapitated. The captains have already started bickering over who should be in charge with {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} gone.\"",
												"\"With Ravengard out of the way, who'll be the next grand duke, I wonder? My money's on Thalamra Vanthampur. Practically born in the sewers, she was, and more vicious than a swarm of rats.\""
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Elfsong",
							"page": 18,
							"id": "034",
							"entries": [
								"At some point before Tarina's associates arrive, the tavern is filled with the ghostly lamentation of the elf spirit known to haunt the place. However, on this one occasion, the spirit sings not of a long-lost lover but of Elturel. This surprises everyone, including Alan Alyth, who has never heard the spirit change its tune. Characters who understand Elvish can translate the lyrics:",
								"{@i O sing a song of Elturel}",
								"{@i Of water, woods, and hill}",
								"{@i The sun dawns on her ruddy cliffs}",
								"{@i And fields green and still}.",
								"{@i This land of long-abiding joy}",
								"{@i Home of the strong and brave}",
								"{@i Renowned by all, across the realms},",
								"{@i And never once a slave}.",
								"{@i O sing a song of Elturel}",
								"{@i When foes are at her door}",
								"{@i Her fields torn by cloven feet}",
								"{@i From some infernal shore}.",
								"{@i Arise the mighty Hellriders}",
								"{@i Take up your swift, keen swords}",
								"{@i Then charge into the hellish fray}",
								"{@i And scatter devil hordes}.",
								"{@i O sing a song of Elturel}",
								"{@i And when the night does fall}",
								"{@i Sleep safe beneath Companion's light}",
								"{@i Until the dawn does call}.",
								"{@i We're bound by mortal covenant}",
								"{@i That only ends with death}",
								"{@i And so we'll sing of Elturel}",
								"{@i Until our final breath}.",
								"Any character who has been to Elturel or who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill History}) check knows that \"the Companion\" referred to in the song is the name given to the artificial sun that burns over Elturel, protecting the city and its surrounding lands against undead.",
								"Characters who speak to Alan after hearing the song can ask him about it, since he speaks Elvish in addition to Common. However, he was so surprised by the change in lyrics that he remembers only parts of it. The spirit will sing the song a second time, but only if an elf or half-elf pleads with it to do so and succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check.",
								"One word from the song sticks in Alan's memory: \"Hellriders.\" Characters might recall Captain Zodge using the term to describe the knights of Elturel. Alan and most other residents of Baldur's Gate use the word similarly. Any character who has been to Elturel or who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill History}) check recalls that the Hellriders were so-named long ago when they descended into the Nine Hells on horseback to fight devils. Most of them never returned. It's possible that one of Alan's other patrons knows this bit of history."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "With Friends Like These",
							"page": 19,
							"id": "035",
							"entries": [
								"Characters who wait for Tarina's pirate friends find their patience rewarded in due time. Read the following to the players when it's time for the pirates to arrive:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "036",
									"entries": [
										"Eight motley humans saunter into the tavern. The leader is a brawny man with a cloudy right eye, a cruel sneer, and a pirate's swagger. The others are an unsavory, rowdy bunch who act as if they own the place.",
										"\"We're looking for an old friend of ours,\" says the dead-eyed man. He sniffs the air. \"Goes by the name 'Tarina,' or so I'm told. Loves to cheat at Baldur's Bones.\""
									]
								},
								"Captain Murosko Sessprin was killed during a mutiny six months ago, leaving his ship\u2014the {@i Uncivil Serpent}\u2014under the command of Sessprin's treacherous first mate, a scoundrel named Lekard \"Dead-Eye\" Cadavrus. Dead-Eye is a neutral evil {@creature bandit captain} whose cataract-clouded right eye inspires his nickname. He doesn't like to bathe, and his breath smells like rotting fish. He's joined by a gang of seven {@creature Bandit||bandits} who share his evil disposition.",
								"Dead-Eye offers a tall glass of ale to anyone with information on Tarina's location, and several tavern patrons are quick to accept the offer. Characters can confront the pirates if they wish, but Dead-Eye won't let them stand between him and his revenge. Two pirates watch the exit to make sure Tarina can't escape while the others attack anyone who gets in Dead-Eye's way.",
								"Dead-Eye tries to kill Tarina on sight. Neither Alan nor the bouncers intervene in the fight unless one or more staff members become involved in it. Other patrons stay out of the fight as much as possible, though a character can attempt to bribe one friendly or indifferent NPC to join in as an action. With a successful DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check\u2014or a Charisma ({@skill Deception}) check if the offer is not genuine\u2014the NPC accepts the bribe, rolls initiative, and joins the fray on its next turn, siding with the characters until the fight ends. The check is made with advantage if the promised payment is worth 10 gp or more. Dead-Eye can use the same tactic, swaying tavern patrons to his side with coin.",
								"The characters can try to bribe Dead-Eye into leaving the Elfsong Tavern without his vengeance satisfied, but he demands 5,000 gp in coins or goods for his trouble. If characters claim to have the money or goods elsewhere, he laughs at them and says he doesn't place any stock in their words. He's far too suspicious to be fooled by so obvious a deception, and he can't bring himself to believe that anyone would value Tarina's life so highly.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 19,
									"id": "037",
									"entries": [
										"Tucked in Dead-Eye's vest is a pouch containing 32 gp and 15 sp. He also wears two gold necklaces (25 gp each) and a blackened gold ring with a white pearl set in it (125 gp). Each of the other pirates carries a pouch containing {@dice 1d6} sp.",
										"Dead-Eye's ship, the {@i Uncivil Serpent}, is moored at the end of a dock on the east side of the harbor. Eleven {@creature Bandit||bandits} guard it, and no treasure is kept aboard. If the characters dispose of all the pirates, the ship is theirs for the taking, though it requires a crew of twenty to sail, and half or more of the crew must have proficiency with water vehicles.",
										"The {@i Uncivil Serpent} has the statistics of a {@vehicle sailing ship} (see {@table Owning a Ship; Airborne and Waterborne Vehicles||chapter 5} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}). If you need a deck plan, use the ship map in {@book appendix C|DMG|12} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. Although the ship is worth 10,000 gp intact, no one in Baldur's Gate wants to buy it because of its infamous reputation."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "What Tarina Knows",
							"page": 19,
							"id": "038",
							"entries": [
								"Once her pirate friends are dealt with, Tarina shares the following information with the characters:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "039",
									"entries": [
										"\"Several blocks northwest of here is a public bathhouse with a walled garden and frolicking nymphs carved into its front gates. Followers of the Dead Three have been seen coming and going from the bathhouse, and I'm told there's a secret door inside that leads to a dungeon. That's where the killers are hiding.\""
									]
								},
								"If Tarina is killed, the characters can deliver her body to Captain Zodge, who makes arrangements with a priest to cast {@spell speak with dead} on the corpse. Once the corpse reveals what it knows, Zodge gives that information to the characters.",
								"With the knowledge provided by Tarina or her corpse, the characters can head to the bathhouse and search for the dungeon hidden below it. Make sure the characters advance to 2nd level before continuing the adventure. When the characters arrive at the bathhouse, proceed with the \"Dungeon of the Dead Three\" section."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Dungeon of the Dead Three",
					"page": 20,
					"id": "03a",
					"entries": [
						"Before running this part of the adventure, read the information on the Dead Three in {@adventure appendix D|BGDIA|13}. Stat blocks for the Dead Three's followers can be found there as well.",
						"The Dungeon of the Dead Three is hidden below a bathhouse that's secretly owned and operated by the Vanthampur family. One member of the family, {@creature Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA}, is in the dungeon helping to coordinate the Dead Three cultists' attacks in the city. These attacks are meant to demonstrate to the citizens of Baldur's Gate that the Flaming Fist can't protect them.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Arrival at the Bathhouse",
							"page": 20,
							"id": "03b",
							"entries": [
								"When the characters arrive at the bathhouse, read the following boxed text aloud to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "03c",
									"entries": [
										"The bathhouse is a one-story stuccoed building with stained-glass windows and clay roof tiles. Ten-foot-tall walls enclose a large courtyard outside the southeast corner of the building. The closed wooden doors to the courtyard are engraved with images of smiling nymphs dancing and frolicking in water."
									]
								},
								"There's nothing outwardly suspicious about the bathhouse, which features one of the most sophisticated plumbing systems in the city. The doors leading to the courtyard (area D1) are unlocked and unguarded. The bathhouse closes at midnight and reopens at dawn, and city residents come and go here throughout the day and into the evening."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Bathhouse Locations",
							"page": 20,
							"id": "03d",
							"entries": [
								"The following area descriptions are keyed to {@adventure map 1.3|BGDIA|1|Map 1.3: Dungeon of the Dead Three}.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D1. Courtyard",
									"page": 20,
									"id": "03e",
									"entries": [
										"Describe this location to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "03f",
											"entries": [
												"This L-shaped courtyard features a trimmed lawn and nicely manicured shrubbery. The yard is decorated with white marble benches and stone fountains, each in the form of a smiling nymph tipping a jug that spills water into a circular stone basin."
											]
										},
										"An {@condition invisible} {@creature imp} is perched on the southeast fountain. If the characters look as though they intend to cause trouble, the imp observes them quietly until they enter the bathhouse, then flies to {@area Vanthampur Villa|096|x} in the Upper City to alert {@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA}, the oldest of {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA|Duke Thalamra Vanthampur's} sons. Thurstwell instructs the imp to return to its post but takes no further action, hoping that the characters dispose of his brother, Mortlock."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D2. Baths",
									"page": 20,
									"id": "040",
									"entries": [
										"From dawn to midnight, characters can expect to find {@dice 1d6} human {@creature Commoner||commoners} bathing here at any given time. From midnight to dawn, three female human {@creature Night Blade|BGDIA|night blades} stand guard near the pools and attack trespassers on sight. If a fight breaks out here, the {@creature necromite of Myrkul|BGDIA} in {@adventure area D4|BGDIA|1|D4. North Massage Room} joins the fray in the second round of combat.",
										"Describe this location to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "041",
											"entries": [
												"The walls of this twenty-foot-high pillared chamber are adorned with frescoes of bathing royalty. Natural light streams through stained-glass windows, creating colorful patterns on the tiles of polished blue marble that cover the floor. Three shallow, sunken pools contain scintillating perfume-scented water. White marble benches bearing stacks of dry towels are situated near the pools, each of which comes equipped with a pair of brass faucets."
											]
										},
										"The faucets draw warm and cold water from pipes that run underneath the floor. A tight-fitting stone plug at the bottom of each pool keeps its water from draining out. Numerous tiny drain holes near the tops of the sunken pools prevent them from overflowing."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D3. South Massage Room",
									"page": 20,
									"id": "042",
									"entries": [
										"This room contains a massage table draped in clean towels. Bottles of perfume stored under the table are used to scent the pools in area D2. Natural light enters through a stained-glass window set into the south wall.",
										"During the hours in which the bathhouse is open, an androgynous human masseuse (neutral good {@creature commoner}) named Jabaz works here. Jabaz knows that the bathhouse is owned by {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA} and run by her brutish son, Mortlock.",
										"Mortlock has given Jabaz strict orders not to hang around the bathhouse after hours. Jabaz suspects that Mortlock is running some sort of shady business on the side, and that he's using the establishment as a front to conceal his dark dealings without the duke's knowledge. Jabaz knows the location of the secret door in area D4 but won't volunteer that information, fearing Mortlock's retaliation. Jabaz doesn't know what lies beyond the secret door."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D4. North Massage Room",
									"page": 20,
									"id": "043",
									"entries": [
										"From midnight to dawn, a male human {@creature necromite of Myrkul|BGDIA} guards this room unless he's drawn to {@adventure area D2|BGDIA|1|D2. Baths} by sounds of battle there. During the hours in which the bathhouse is open, a female human masseuse (neutral good {@creature commoner}) named Qurmilah works here. She knows the same information as Jabaz in area D3 and behaves similarly.",
										"This room is furnished in the same fashion as area D3, with the additional feature of a secret door in the north wall. A character who searches the north wall and succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check finds the secret door, which swings inward when pushed. A foul, sewer-like stench greets anyone who opens the secret door. Behind the door, a staircase descends 20 feet to {@adventure area D5|BGDIA|1|D5. Welcome to the Dungeon}, featuring smooth stone steps and brick walls. Two sputtering torches in wall sconces illuminate the staircase, but the dungeon below is dark.",
										{
											"type": "gallery",
											"images": [
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/010-scp8p-map-1-3-dm.webp"
													},
													"title": "Map 1.3: Dungeon of the Dead Three",
													"width": 6105,
													"height": 4000,
													"imageType": "map",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 93,
														"offsetX": -14,
														"offsetY": -6
													},
													"id": "32a",
													"mapRegions": [
														{
															"area": "044",
															"points": [
																[
																	187,
																	835
																],
																[
																	187,
																	1107
																],
																[
																	918,
																	1107
																],
																[
																	918,
																	835
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "046",
															"points": [
																[
																	379,
																	1670
																],
																[
																	643,
																	1670
																],
																[
																	643,
																	2106
																],
																[
																	572,
																	2106
																],
																[
																	572,
																	2042
																],
																[
																	379,
																	2042
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "047",
															"points": [
																[
																	832,
																	1672
																],
																[
																	1062,
																	1672
																],
																[
																	1196,
																	1806
																],
																[
																	1202,
																	2030
																],
																[
																	832,
																	2030
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "049",
															"points": [
																[
																	755,
																	2218
																],
																[
																	897,
																	2076
																],
																[
																	982,
																	2161
																],
																[
																	833,
																	2310
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "04a",
															"points": [
																[
																	1256,
																	2181
																],
																[
																	1436,
																	2001
																],
																[
																	1621,
																	2186
																],
																[
																	1456,
																	2351
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "04e",
															"points": [
																[
																	1291,
																	2408
																],
																[
																	1291,
																	2686
																],
																[
																	1584,
																	2686
																],
																[
																	1584,
																	2408
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "050",
															"points": [
																[
																	968,
																	2406
																],
																[
																	1013,
																	2411
																],
																[
																	1062,
																	2408
																],
																[
																	1136,
																	2410
																],
																[
																	1198,
																	2413
																],
																[
																	1195,
																	2546
																],
																[
																	1200,
																	2626
																],
																[
																	1150,
																	2685
																],
																[
																	1123,
																	2714
																],
																[
																	1070,
																	2731
																],
																[
																	992,
																	2619
																],
																[
																	997,
																	2570
																],
																[
																	939,
																	2494
																],
																[
																	962,
																	2456
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "054",
															"points": [
																[
																	1083,
																	2808
																],
																[
																	1141,
																	2790
																],
																[
																	1242,
																	2786
																],
																[
																	1326,
																	2781
																],
																[
																	1462,
																	2781
																],
																[
																	1565,
																	2786
																],
																[
																	1562,
																	3141
																],
																[
																	1360,
																	3139
																],
																[
																	1322,
																	3134
																],
																[
																	1293,
																	3147
																],
																[
																	1194,
																	3147
																],
																[
																	1158,
																	3126
																],
																[
																	1093,
																	3118
																],
																[
																	1120,
																	3078
																],
																[
																	1115,
																	3045
																],
																[
																	1123,
																	3024
																],
																[
																	1104,
																	2982
																],
																[
																	1069,
																	2984
																],
																[
																	1029,
																	2946
																],
																[
																	1053,
																	2920
																],
																[
																	1091,
																	2910
																],
																[
																	1082,
																	2870
																],
																[
																	1083,
																	2832
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "059",
															"points": [
																[
																	189,
																	2768
																],
																[
																	189,
																	3058
																],
																[
																	485,
																	3058
																],
																[
																	485,
																	2768
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "058",
															"points": [
																[
																	184,
																	3526
																],
																[
																	184,
																	3792
																],
																[
																	464,
																	3792
																],
																[
																	464,
																	3526
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "057",
															"points": [
																[
																	1938,
																	3398
																],
																[
																	1938,
																	3629
																],
																[
																	2136,
																	3629
																],
																[
																	2136,
																	3398
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "05b",
															"points": [
																[
																	2594,
																	2664
																],
																[
																	2594,
																	3056
																],
																[
																	2874,
																	3056
																],
																[
																	2874,
																	2664
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "052",
															"points": [
																[
																	1762,
																	2410
																],
																[
																	1947,
																	2406
																],
																[
																	1955,
																	2344
																],
																[
																	2003,
																	2325
																],
																[
																	2037,
																	2347
																],
																[
																	2045,
																	2398
																],
																[
																	2122,
																	2400
																],
																[
																	2122,
																	2328
																],
																[
																	2579,
																	2328
																],
																[
																	2579,
																	2598
																],
																[
																	1790,
																	2598
																],
																[
																	1765,
																	2603
																],
																[
																	1755,
																	2560
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "05d",
															"points": [
																[
																	2784,
																	1934
																],
																[
																	2784,
																	2586
																],
																[
																	3048,
																	2586
																],
																[
																	3048,
																	1934
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "043",
															"points": [
																[
																	1675,
																	200
																],
																[
																	1875,
																	200
																],
																[
																	1875,
																	283
																],
																[
																	2011,
																	283
																],
																[
																	2011,
																	454
																],
																[
																	1675,
																	454
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "040",
															"points": [
																[
																	2054,
																	298
																],
																[
																	2390,
																	298
																],
																[
																	2390,
																	539
																],
																[
																	2299,
																	539
																],
																[
																	2299,
																	746
																],
																[
																	2385,
																	746
																],
																[
																	2385,
																	998
																],
																[
																	2040,
																	998
																],
																[
																	2040,
																	824
																],
																[
																	1770,
																	824
																],
																[
																	1770,
																	491
																],
																[
																	2054,
																	491
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "042",
															"points": [
																[
																	1768,
																	848
																],
																[
																	1768,
																	1003
																],
																[
																	2006,
																	1003
																],
																[
																	2006,
																	848
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "03e",
															"points": [
																[
																	2416,
																	384
																],
																[
																	2669,
																	384
																],
																[
																	2669,
																	552
																],
																[
																	2779,
																	552
																],
																[
																	2779,
																	733
																],
																[
																	2664,
																	733
																],
																[
																	2664,
																	1283
																],
																[
																	2497,
																	1283
																],
																[
																	2497,
																	1246
																],
																[
																	2405,
																	1246
																],
																[
																	2405,
																	1280
																],
																[
																	2222,
																	1280
																],
																[
																	2222,
																	1261
																],
																[
																	2125,
																	1261
																],
																[
																	2125,
																	1280
																],
																[
																	1949,
																	1280
																],
																[
																	1949,
																	1036
																],
																[
																	2414,
																	1036
																],
																[
																	2414,
																	725
																],
																[
																	2329,
																	725
																],
																[
																	2329,
																	576
																],
																[
																	2416,
																	576
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "05e",
															"points": [
																[
																	3707,
																	3150
																],
																[
																	3787,
																	3150
																],
																[
																	3808,
																	3166
																],
																[
																	3878,
																	3166
																],
																[
																	3878,
																	3506
																],
																[
																	3834,
																	3506
																],
																[
																	3770,
																	3442
																],
																[
																	3814,
																	3398
																],
																[
																	3764,
																	3348
																],
																[
																	3705,
																	3348
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "05f",
															"points": [
																[
																	3987,
																	3155
																],
																[
																	3987,
																	3515
																],
																[
																	4162,
																	3515
																],
																[
																	4162,
																	3155
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "061",
															"points": [
																[
																	4267,
																	3157
																],
																[
																	4267,
																	3520
																],
																[
																	4448,
																	3520
																],
																[
																	4448,
																	3157
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "063",
															"points": [
																[
																	4534,
																	2779
																],
																[
																	4534,
																	3059
																],
																[
																	4805,
																	3059
																],
																[
																	4805,
																	2779
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "06f",
															"points": [
																[
																	4170,
																	2192
																],
																[
																	4214,
																	2157
																],
																[
																	4274,
																	2138
																],
																[
																	4384,
																	2144
																],
																[
																	4445,
																	2176
																],
																[
																	4462,
																	2214
																],
																[
																	4454,
																	2299
																],
																[
																	4411,
																	2338
																],
																[
																	4354,
																	2405
																],
																[
																	4245,
																	2378
																],
																[
																	4218,
																	2342
																],
																[
																	4192,
																	2334
																],
																[
																	4166,
																	2262
																],
																[
																	4181,
																	2219
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "06d",
															"points": [
																[
																	3608,
																	2222
																],
																[
																	3608,
																	1754
																],
																[
																	3786,
																	1762
																],
																[
																	3881,
																	1667
																],
																[
																	3881,
																	1490
																],
																[
																	4256,
																	1490
																],
																[
																	4256,
																	1758
																],
																[
																	4256,
																	1938
																],
																[
																	4181,
																	1938
																],
																[
																	4181,
																	2022
																],
																[
																	4087,
																	2116
																],
																[
																	3994,
																	2116
																],
																[
																	3880,
																	2222
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "06b",
															"points": [
																[
																	4613,
																	1768
																],
																[
																	4891,
																	1768
																],
																[
																	4915,
																	1683
																],
																[
																	4953,
																	1645
																],
																[
																	4989,
																	1571
																],
																[
																	5005,
																	1755
																],
																[
																	5112,
																	1862
																],
																[
																	5112,
																	2116
																],
																[
																	4917,
																	2116
																],
																[
																	4917,
																	1966
																],
																[
																	4879,
																	1928
																],
																[
																	4613,
																	1928
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "071",
															"points": [
																[
																	4546,
																	1565
																],
																[
																	4558,
																	1490
																],
																[
																	4627,
																	1483
																],
																[
																	4683,
																	1504
																],
																[
																	4742,
																	1579
																],
																[
																	4709,
																	1624
																],
																[
																	4638,
																	1664
																],
																[
																	4584,
																	1624
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "072",
															"points": [
																[
																	4266,
																	1098
																],
																[
																	4266,
																	1394
																],
																[
																	4725,
																	1394
																],
																[
																	4725,
																	1098
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "074",
															"points": [
																[
																	3331,
																	1016
																],
																[
																	3613,
																	1016
																],
																[
																	3613,
																	1109
																],
																[
																	4176,
																	1109
																],
																[
																	4176,
																	1394
																],
																[
																	3618,
																	1394
																],
																[
																	3618,
																	1486
																],
																[
																	3331,
																	1486
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "06c",
															"points": [
																[
																	5195,
																	1773
																],
																[
																	5376,
																	1775
																],
																[
																	5375,
																	1847
																],
																[
																	5542,
																	1858
																],
																[
																	5562,
																	1885
																],
																[
																	5509,
																	1924
																],
																[
																	5378,
																	1944
																],
																[
																	5378,
																	2295
																],
																[
																	5195,
																	2295
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "069",
															"points": [
																[
																	5458,
																	2702
																],
																[
																	5558,
																	2593
																],
																[
																	5558,
																	2418
																],
																[
																	5795,
																	2418
																],
																[
																	5834,
																	2457
																],
																[
																	5834,
																	2683
																],
																[
																	5629,
																	2683
																],
																[
																	5541,
																	2771
																],
																[
																	5467,
																	2771
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "068",
															"points": [
																[
																	5467,
																	2956
																],
																[
																	5467,
																	2870
																],
																[
																	5553,
																	2870
																],
																[
																	5646,
																	2963
																],
																[
																	5829,
																	2963
																],
																[
																	5829,
																	3128
																],
																[
																	5789,
																	3182
																],
																[
																	5736,
																	3235
																],
																[
																	5571,
																	3235
																],
																[
																	5571,
																	3053
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "066",
															"points": [
																[
																	5015,
																	3193
																],
																[
																	5040,
																	3168
																],
																[
																	5184,
																	3168
																],
																[
																	5292,
																	3060
																],
																[
																	5367,
																	3060
																],
																[
																	5367,
																	3158
																],
																[
																	5272,
																	3253
																],
																[
																	5272,
																	3415
																],
																[
																	5015,
																	3415
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "065",
															"points": [
																[
																	4911,
																	2473
																],
																[
																	4999,
																	2473
																],
																[
																	4999,
																	2767
																],
																[
																	4911,
																	2767
																],
																[
																	4911,
																	2671
																],
																[
																	4733,
																	2671
																],
																[
																	4733,
																	2590
																],
																[
																	4911,
																	2590
																]
															]
														}
													],
													"hrefThumbnail": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/010-scp8p-map-1-3-dm.webp"
													}
												},
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/011-6opzj-map-1-3.webp"
													},
													"title": "Player Version",
													"width": 6105,
													"height": 4000,
													"imageType": "mapPlayer",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 93,
														"offsetX": -13,
														"offsetY": -11
													},
													"mapParent": {
														"id": "32a"
													}
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D5. Welcome to the Dungeon",
									"page": 21,
									"id": "044",
									"entries": [
										"Duke Vanthampur became aware of this ancient dungeon while she was managing the city's water utilities and sewer system. She built the bathhouse to hide it.",
										"The chamber at the bottom of the staircase is empty, unlit, and flooded with foul-smelling water to a depth of 2 feet (see \"Dungeon Features\" below for more information).",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Dungeon Features",
											"page": 21,
											"id": "045",
											"entries": [
												"The Dungeon of the Dead Three has the following recurring features:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"The dungeon's rooms, corridors, and staircases are hewn from limestone and unlit unless the text states otherwise. (Followers of the Dead Three carry torches or rely on {@sense darkvision} to see in the dungeon.)",
														"The 5-foot-wide corridors throughout the dungeon have 8-foot-high ceilings. Rooms have 9-foot-high ceilings, often braced with wooden beams. Each beam is a Large object with AC 15, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Destroying all the beams in an area has a {@chance 25|25 percent} chance of triggering a roof collapse. Each creature under the collapsing roof must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 ({@dice 4d10}) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The area remains open but is {@quickref difficult terrain||3} thereafter.",
														"Regular doors are made of soft, rotting wood. Each door is a Medium object with AC 15, 5 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Secret doors are carved to look like the surrounding limestone walls and require a successful DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check to locate. Once located, a secret door pushes open easily.",
														"Certain areas of the dungeon (as shown on {@adventure map 1.3|BGDIA|1|Map 1.3: Dungeon of the Dead Three}) are flooded with murky water to a depth of 2 feet to make them {@quickref difficult terrain||3}. The water seeps into the dungeon from nearby sewers through cracks in the limestone. It carries a foul stench and is undrinkable."
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D6. Bloated Corpse",
									"page": 21,
									"id": "046",
									"entries": [
										"Floating face-down in the middle of this flooded room is the bloated corpse of a shirtless male human with knife wounds in his back. The corpse was once a Bhaal worshiper named Hiskaal, who was killed by his cultist peers for allowing a target to escape during a recent attack in the city. Any character who inspects the corpse and succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Medicine}) check concludes that the man has been dead for two days."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D7. Bhaal's Altar",
									"page": 21,
									"id": "047",
									"entries": [
										"Describe this location to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "048",
											"entries": [
												"Three wooden beams brace the ceiling of this flooded chamber, which features a stone altar covered with entrails in the northeast corner. Hanging on the wall above the altar is a three-foot-tall steel mask cast in the form of a frowning human skull."
											]
										},
										"The steel skull mask represents the visage of Bhaal and has no magical properties.",
										"The humanoid entrails were left on the altar as an offering to the god of murder. Pouring a vial of holy water on the entrails causes them to melt away and also causes the altar to smolder."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D8. Moldy Tapestry",
									"page": 22,
									"id": "049",
									"entries": [
										"The back wall of this dry alcove is hung with a 5-foot-wide, 7-foot-tall tapestry. It depicts a grisly scene of four faceless figures ripping apart a fifth figure, who is screaming. Characters who inspect the tapestry without touching it notice yellow mold growing around its edges. In fact, a 5-foot-square patch of {@hazard yellow mold} (see {@hazard yellow mold||chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide}) clings to the back of the tapestry and releases its deadly spores if the tapestry is disturbed."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D9. The Dead Three Doors",
									"page": 22,
									"id": "04a",
									"entries": [
										"This chamber is empty but not bereft of decor. Carved into each of its three doors is a full-figure depiction of one of the Dead Three. A character recognizes all the figures with a successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Religion}) check.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "East Door",
											"page": 22,
											"id": "04b",
											"entries": [
												"The face of this door bears a carving of Bane, the lawful evil god of tyranny, who is depicted as a tall, armored man wearing a bucket helm. His right gauntlet is painted black and clutches a set of shackles."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "North Door",
											"page": 22,
											"id": "04c",
											"entries": [
												"This door bears a carving of Bhaal, the chaotic evil god of murder. He's depicted as a powerfully built, skull-headed man with long, curved blades where his hands should be."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "South Door",
											"page": 22,
											"id": "04d",
											"entries": [
												"This door bears a carving of Myrkul, the neutral evil Lord of Bones. He is portrayed as a cloaked figure whose face is hidden under a cowl. In his skeletal hands, he clutches a screaming human skull."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D10. Necromites' Room",
									"page": 22,
									"id": "04e",
									"entries": [
										"The creatures here watch area D9 through a crack in the door, and any sign of the characters approaching lets them set up an ambush of sorts. Read the following boxed text to describe the room to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "04f",
											"entries": [
												"Lying on the floor of this otherwise empty room are the pale bodies of three humans in filthy black robes, arranged in a triangular formation. A lit torch lies between them. A rough-hewn staircase to the left leads down to another torchlit chamber."
											]
										},
										"These three {@creature Necromite of Myrkul|BGDIA|necromites of Myrkul} are playing dead. They conceal their skull-headed flails underneath their robes. Any character who watches the bodies carefully can determine that they're alive with a successful DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check.",
										"The necromites leap to their feet and attack when any character enters the room, or if they are attacked first. They fight to the death to guard the treasure in area D11."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D11. Partially Collapsed Crypt",
									"page": 22,
									"id": "050",
									"entries": [
										"This chamber has partially collapsed around a stone sarcophagus that was opened and looted long ago.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 22,
											"id": "051",
											"entries": [
												"The necromites in area D10 hid three spellbooks beneath the dust and humanoid bones in the sarcophagus, having stolen the books from murder victims.",
												"Spellbook 1 is bound in red leather and contains the following spells: {@spell burning hands}, {@spell detect magic}, {@spell disguise self}, {@spell fog cloud}, {@spell ray of sickness}, {@spell silent image}.",
												"Spellbook 2 has the personal rune of its previous owner burned into its umber cover. This book contains the following spells: {@spell charm person}, {@spell find familiar}, {@spell identify}, {@spell magic missile}, {@spell sleep}.",
												"Spellbook 3 is bound in scaly black reptile hide and contains the following spells: {@spell cloud of daggers}, {@spell darkvision}, {@spell detect magic}, {@spell feather fall}, {@spell mage armor}, {@spell magic missile}, {@spell Tasha's hideous laughter}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D12. Bane's Altar",
									"page": 22,
									"id": "052",
									"entries": [
										"Unless the characters take special care to approach quietly and without light sources, they alert the room's occupants. Describe this area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "053",
											"entries": [
												"The eastern part of this room is unlit, flooded, and braced with floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. Rough-hewn steps rise out of the murky water to the western portion of the room, which is dry and lit by two torches in sconces that flank a stone altar. Shackled to the wall behind the altar is a sickly man in a loincloth with a burlap sack over his head. An alcove in the north wall contains a freestanding suit of plate armor missing its helm.",
												"Standing before the altar are two grim figures: a powerfully built woman clutching a mace, and an even bigger man wearing a bucket helm. The helmed man is jabbing the prisoner with a spear, causing him to twitch. Both figures are clad in chain mail, and the woman carries a wooden shield with a leering skull painted on it."
											]
										},
										"The two armored figures are Kazzira, a female human {@creature fist of Bane|BGDIA}, and Yignath, a male human {@creature iron consul|BGDIA}. Yignath is torturing the prisoner for fun while Kazzira watches. Both attack intruders but prefer to remain on dry ground. The skull on Kazzira's shield has been painted in fresh blood. Hanging from Yignath's belt is an iron key ring with seven keys\u2014one for the shackles above the altar, two for the shackles in {@adventure area D22|BGDIA|1|D22. Torture Chamber}, and four that unlock the chests in {@adventure area D30|BGDIA|1|D30. Tiamat's Stolen Treasure}.",
										"The prisoner hanging on the west wall is Klim Jhasso, a male human noble captured in the Lower City two days ago after his bodyguard was slain. Klim is a neutral evil {@creature noble} with 1 hit point remaining. He is unarmored (AC 10) and weaponless. He speaks Common and Elvish, but has no useful information to share. Klim guarantees that his family will pay a generous reward for his safe return to their estate in the Upper City\u2014but the noble is lying. His mother is dead, his patriar father is ailing, and his three younger siblings crave their inheritance, which they would rather split three ways than four. The trading coster that the family part-owns is struggling and can't afford to pay any large reward or ransom.",
										"Klim's shackles have AC 19, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.",
										"The suit of armor is welded together and is harmless, but its gauntlets are detachable. Both gauntlets are animated objects statistically identical to {@creature Flying Sword||flying swords}, except they deal bludgeoning damage instead of slashing damage. The gauntlets detach from the armor and attack anyone who disturbs them or frees the prisoner from his shackles."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D13. Morgue",
									"page": 23,
									"id": "054",
									"entries": [
										"Unless the characters approach this room quietly and without light sources, they alert the occupants here. Describe the area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "055",
											"entries": [
												"This partially collapsed room has three wooden beams bracing its ceiling. Situated between the beams is a scorched wooden table with a human cadaver resting atop it. A frighteningly thin woman in a black robe is studying the corpse, her face largely hidden under a cowl. Around her feet creep a swarm of {@creature skeletal rats|BGDIA}."
											]
										},
										"The necromancer looming over the corpse is Flennis, a female human {@creature master of souls|BGDIA} and the highest-ranking follower of Myrkul in the dungeon. Use the {@creature swarm of rats} stat block in the {@book Monster Manual|MM} to represent Flennis's {@creature skeletal rats|BGDIA}, which are undead instead of beasts. The swarm can be turned by any character with the Turn Undead feature, but spells that target beasts have no effect on it.",
										"Flennis is preparing to make a zombie out of the corpse on the table, but the {@spell animate dead} spell takes 1 minute to cast, which means she must deal with the characters first. Her {@creature skeletal rats|BGDIA} attack the nearest foe, and she casts spells while using the table for cover.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 23,
											"id": "056",
											"entries": [
												"In addition to her robe and her flail, Flennis carries a dusty spellbook that contains all the spells she has prepared. The book has black leather covers and sports a tiny, skull-shaped locking mechanism. Flennis has the key to the lock stuck in her hair. A character can also pick the lock with a successful DC 10 Dexterity check made with {@item thieves' tools|phb}.",
												"The first time a creature other than Flennis opens the book, a wisp of black smoke rises from its pages and coalesces into a skull that cackles madly for a few seconds before dissipating. The creature holding the book when the smoke appears must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed for 24 hours, during which time the creature has vulnerability to necrotic damage. A {@spell remove curse} spell or similar effect ends the curse on the creature."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D14. Hungry Rat",
									"page": 23,
									"id": "057",
									"entries": [
										"An ordinary {@creature rat} scurries around this room, looking for scraps of food. If the characters use a {@spell speak with animals} spell or similar magic to communicate with the rat, it can share its knowledge of the dungeon with them. It warms to characters who offer it food.",
										"The rat's knowledge is limited to places it has visited\u2014specifically {@adventure areas D5|BGDIA|1|D5. Welcome to the Dungeon} through {@adventure D26|BGDIA|1|D26. Bhaal's Rest}. It doesn't know the location of secret doors, so it's unaware of {@adventure areas D27|BGDIA|1|D27. Echoes of Battle} through {@adventure D33|BGDIA|1|D33. Covenant of the Dead Three}, which are hidden behind the secret door in {@adventure area D23|BGDIA|1|D23. Secret Door and Sentry}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D15. Flooded Room",
									"page": 23,
									"id": "058",
									"entries": [
										"The flooded, rubble-strewn tunnels leading to and from this room narrow to a width of 2½ feet in places. Four rotting wooden beams rise from the murky water to brace the ceiling here. Rubble piled in the northwest corner contains nothing of interest."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D16. Flooded Crypt",
									"page": 23,
									"id": "059",
									"entries": [
										"Murky, foul-smelling water surrounds an open stone sarcophagus resting in the middle of this crypt, its stone lid lying broken in three pieces under the water north of it. A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals an aura of evocation magic around the sarcophagus. Characters who pull the lid fragments out of the water see that the lid was carved in the likeness of a screaming, axe-wielding barbarian.",
										"Exposure to the dampness has rotted the bones in the sarcophagus, reducing them to black sludge.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Trap",
											"page": 23,
											"id": "05a",
											"entries": [
												"If the contents of the sarcophagus are disturbed, a ghostly battleaxe appears above the sarcophagus. The battleaxe is created by magic similar to a {@spell spiritual weapon} spell and is treated as a 2nd-level spell effect for the purpose of dispelling it. The ghostly battleaxe can't be harmed, can't leave the room, and targets only creatures, acting on initiative count 20. On each of its turns, it moves up to 10 feet and makes a melee spell attack (+5 to hit) against an available target, dealing 6 ({@dice 1d8 + 2}) force damage on a hit. The effect ends when there are no longer any creatures in the room, and the trap resets after 24 hours."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D17. Myrkul's Altar",
									"page": 23,
									"id": "05b",
									"entries": [
										"Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players when their characters first enter the room:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "05c",
											"entries": [
												"This dry, partially collapsed room contains a stone altar with humanoid skulls and bones piled around it. The top of the altar is covered with dozens of half-melted candles made of black wax, all currently unlit."
											]
										},
										"If one or more of the black candles on the altar are lit, they shed a green light that reveals black writing on the walls. The writing, which is not visible otherwise, says in Common, \"RISE AND BE COUNTED!\" If these words are spoken aloud within 5 feet of the altar, the words vanish as bones hidden under the debris at the north end of the room rise up and knit together, forming three animated human {@creature Skeleton||skeletons}. The skeletons are evil undead, but they obey the commands of whoever spoke the words that raised them, serving that individual until they're destroyed or their master is killed."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D18. Gas Buildup",
									"page": 23,
									"id": "05d",
									"entries": [
										"The ceiling of this flooded room is supported by numerous wooden beams. The air here smells like rotten eggs, a putrid stench that carries beyond the room. Any character approaching this area who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) check realizes that the stench is an indicator of flammable gas in the room. This gas disperses before reaching other areas of the dungeon, and the Dead Three cultists extinguish their torches before moving through this area.",
										"Bringing a lit torch or other open flame into the gas-filled room triggers an explosion that fills the chamber. Creatures fully immersed in the water take no damage, but all others must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 ({@dice 4d6}) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. All the wooden beams that support the ceiling are destroyed in the explosion, which could cause a roof collapse (see \"{@area Dungeon Features|044|x}\" in {@adventure area D5|BGDIA|1|D5. Welcome to the Dungeon}). The explosion also burns away the gas, which builds up slowly and becomes dangerous again after 24 hours."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D19. Partially Collapsed Crypt",
									"page": 24,
									"id": "05e",
									"entries": [
										"Much of this room has fallen in, with the debris field mostly burying a stone sarcophagus that was looted years ago. Nothing of interest remains."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D20. Half-Plundered Crypt",
									"page": 24,
									"id": "05f",
									"entries": [
										"An open sarcophagus stands at the back of this dusty crypt, its heavy stone lid lying on its side between the sarcophagus and the south wall. The north-facing side of the sarcophagus bears faded frescoes of spear-wielding warriors charging across golden plains on horseback.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 24,
											"id": "060",
											"entries": [
												"A casual search of the sarcophagus turns up nothing but dust and a few scattered humanoid bones. Any character who conducts a thorough search realizes that the sarcophagus has a false bottom made of inch-thick plaster. Smashing through this plaster layer reveals a cavity below that contains a human mummy floating in a shallow pool of red brine. The mummy has two moonstones (50 gp each) embedded in its eye sockets and a {@item bag of beans} where its heart would normally be. Characters must intentionally tear open the mummy's chest to find the hidden bag. The mummy is inanimate and doesn't protest the theft."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D21. Zombie Crypt",
									"page": 24,
									"id": "061",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who listen at the door to this room hear faint humanoid moans in the room beyond. Describe the area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "062",
											"entries": [
												"Six moaning humans with rotting flesh shamble about this dusty crypt, which reeks of death. An open stone sarcophagus rests against the back wall, its shattered lid lying in pieces on the floor around it."
											]
										},
										"The shambling corpses are six {@creature Zombie||zombies} created by Flennis (see {@adventure area D13|BGDIA|1|D13. Morgue}) from the remains of the Dead Three cultists' murder victims. The zombies obey only their creator and attack all others, including other members of the Dead Three cult.",
										"Carved into the north-facing side of the sarcophagus are ghastly images of human cannibalism. The sarcophagus was plundered long ago, and a search of its interior yields up only a jawless human skull and a few bone fragments."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D22. Torture Chamber",
									"page": 24,
									"id": "063",
									"entries": [
										"Followers of Bane torture and interrogate prisoners here. Describe this room to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "064",
											"entries": [
												"The walls and floor of this room are covered with streaks and splashes of dried blood. Two dangling bodies are shackled to the east and south walls. One is an elderly male human; the other, a young female tiefling. Both are covered in bloody gashes, and neither is moving. In the middle of the room is a sturdy wooden chair with a bloody whip draped over it. A bucket half filled with salt sits on the floor nearby."
											]
										},
										"The followers of Bane rub salt into the wounds of the prisoners they torture here. Yignath the iron consul (see {@adventure area D12|BGDIA|1|D12. Bane's Altar}) carries the keys to both sets of shackles, which have AC 19, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. A character with {@item thieves' tools|phb} can unlock a set of shackles with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.",
										"The male human is dead. He was Effinax Zalbor, a caravan coordinator employed by the Jhasso patriar family, which is part-owner of a trading coster that operates throughout the Western Heartlands (see {@adventure area D12|BGDIA|1|D12. Bane's Altar}).",
										"The female tiefling has 0 hit points, and is {@condition unconscious} but stable. She is Vendetta Kress, a neutral {@creature commoner} who speaks Common and Infernal. She has resistance to fire damage and {@sense darkvision} out to a range of 60 feet. Vendetta distributes wine and spirits for the Oathoon patriar family of Baldur's Gate, and was attacked in the Lower City, knocked {@condition unconscious}, and brought here to be tortured. Under interrogation, she gave her captors information regarding the Oathoons and their security arrangements. She also witnessed the interrogation and death of Effinax, who was questioned at length about the Jhasso family.",
										"If set free, Vendetta stays with the characters until an opportunity to escape presents itself. Before that, though, she shares the following piece of information with her liberators. During her incarceration, she heard what sounded like a heavy stone door scraping open and closed from time to time, accompanied by the sound of splashing footsteps. The noise came from the north. This information might lead characters to search for a secret door in that direction (see area D23).",
										"If Vendetta survives her ordeal in the dungeon, she spreads tales of her harrowing escape through her web of contacts in Baldur's Gate, which includes just about every tavern proprietor in the city."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D23. Secret Door and Sentry",
									"page": 24,
									"id": "065",
									"entries": [
										"This flooded tunnel has a secret door in the north wall that swings open into {@adventure area D27|BGDIA|1|D27. Echoes of Battle}. Standing in the water south of the secret door, holding a lit torch and watching the west stairway, is a male {@creature fist of Bane|BGDIA}. On his first turn after seeing the characters, he withdraws to {@adventure area D25|BGDIA|1|D25. Bane's Rest} and pounds on the door to wake his fellow cultists, yelling \"Intruders!\" at the top of his lungs to alert the occupant of {@adventure area D26|BGDIA|1|D26. Bhaal's Rest}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D24. Myrkul's Rest",
									"page": 25,
									"id": "066",
									"entries": [
										"Followers of Myrkul use this plundered crypt as a place to rest. Describe it to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "067",
											"entries": [
												"Four flickering torches in wall sconces illuminate this crypt, the middle of which is occupied by an open stone sarcophagus. The sarcophagus bears no carvings or other ornamentation, but is full of humanoid skulls and bones. Six dusty bedrolls lie on the floor around it."
											]
										},
										"The Myrkulites filled the sarcophagus with skulls and bones found throughout the dungeon, creating an altar of sorts to the Lord of Bones."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D25. Bane's Rest",
									"page": 25,
									"id": "068",
									"entries": [
										"Slumped against the walls of this plundered, partially collapsed crypt are four sleeping {@creature Fist of Bane|BGDIA|fists of Bane}. All are fully armored and have their weapons nearby. If awakened by loud noises or the guard in {@adventure area D23|BGDIA|1|D23. Secret Door and Sentry}, they grab their weapons and quickly mobilize to repel any intrusion.",
										"The room is lit by two sputtering torches in sconces on the north and west walls. A stone sarcophagus in the middle of the room stands empty, its lid half buried under rubble on the floor behind it."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D26. Bhaal's Rest",
									"page": 25,
									"id": "069",
									"entries": [
										"Read or paraphrase the following boxed text when the characters enter this area for the first time:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "06a",
											"entries": [
												"Four flickering torches in wall sconces light this partially collapsed crypt. An open sarcophagus in the middle of the area is filled to the rim with blood, with spillage streaking the sides of the sarcophagus and pooling around its base. The sarcophagus lid lies half buried under rubble behind it."
											]
										},
										"Bhaal worshipers like to bathe in the human blood that fills the sarcophagus. A female {@creature reaper of Bhaal|BGDIA} lurks behind the sarcophagus, drenched in blood from head to toe. At the first sign of intruders, she uses a {@spell disguise self} spell to appear as a frail old woman named Nebra. In this guise, she claims to be a florist who was captured by the Dead Three and brought to the dungeon as a slave. If the characters fall for the act and bring Nebra with them, she claims to know the location of a secret door ({@adventure area D23|BGDIA|1|D23. Secret Door and Sentry}) and tries to lead them through it to {@adventure area D29|BGDIA|1|D29. Mortlock Vanthampur}, where she hopes to find reinforcements. If she leads the party to a location occupied by other cultists, she drops the disguise and attacks. She also attacks if her spell ends before then."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D27. Echoes of Battle",
									"page": 25,
									"id": "06b",
									"entries": [
										"This ten-foot-wide flooded passage is braced at regular intervals by wooden beams. Old torch stubs float on the murky water. At the point where the tunnel bends west toward {@adventure area D29|BGDIA|1|D29. Mortlock Vanthampur}, the characters hear echoes of a battle unfolding in that location."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D28. Old Cellar",
									"page": 25,
									"id": "06c",
									"entries": [
										"This flooded room was once a cellar, with the collapsed eastern passage marking a staircase that formerly led up to a residence in the city. Hidden under the murky water are four animated human {@creature Skeleton||skeletons} that rise up and attack anyone who crosses the room."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D29. Mortlock Vanthampur",
									"page": 25,
									"id": "06d",
									"entries": [
										"The sounds of combat intensify as the characters approach this area. Describe the scene to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "06e",
											"entries": [
												"Beyond the hall, a flooded chamber opens up with rough-hewn steps climbing to the south, north, and northeast. The floor buckles up above the water line in the middle of the room, forming a small island. Corpses and doused torches float in the water around the island, atop which two men circle each other with weapons bared. One of the men\u2014a tall, unarmored brute with a greatclub and a scarred face\u2014towers above his opponent but is gravely wounded. The smaller figure is muscular and bare-chested. He clutches a bloody dagger in one hand and a torch in the other, and has no flesh covering his skull."
											]
										},
										"The man with the greatclub is twenty-nine-year-old {@creature Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA}, who has 30 hit points left. His opponent is an uninjured {@creature death's head of Bhaal|BGDIA} named Vaaz. Four other Dead Three cultists lie dead in the water, their skulls caved in by Mortlock.",
										"Mortlock is tolerated by his mother, {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}, and despised by his older brothers, Thurstwell and Amrik, who view him as a simpleton and an abomination. Half of Mortlock's face was scarred by fire when he was a child, and his disfigurement gives him a fearsome countenance. He was sent to the bathhouse dungeon by his mother to help the followers of the Dead Three coordinate attacks against the city. When it became clear that the Dead Three cultists could function without Mortlock's support, Thurstwell and Amrik conspired with several Bhaal cultists to assassinate Mortlock without their mother's knowledge.",
										"Mortlock and Vaaz stop fighting when the characters arrive. Believing them to be Mortlock's associates, Vaaz disengages from the fight on his next turn and withdraws to {@adventure area D33|BGDIA|1|D33. Covenant of the Dead Three}, where he makes his final stand. Vaaz takes his torch with him. Rather than pursuing, Mortlock tries to forge an alliance with the characters. If they come to terms with Mortlock, he gives them the following information in exchange for a promise of amnesty:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"\"I was betrayed. These assassins conspired with my brothers to kill me. If you hadn't come along, I'd be dead. I owe you my life.\"",
												"\"My family is paying the Dead Three cultists to murder people in the city. Our goal is to prove that the Flaming Fist can't do its job. Once the city stops paying them, the Flaming Fist will have less of a reason to stay in Baldur's Gate. With them gone, no one can stand in the way of my mother becoming the city's next grand duke. If she gets her way, Baldur's Gate will share Elturel's fate and get dragged down into the Nine Hells.\"",
												"\"My mother is one of the three remaining members of the Council of Four, which governs Baldur's Gate. She was instrumental in convincing {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} to travel to Elturel and meet with its high overseer, {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}. With Ravengard gone, the Flaming Fist is leaderless and vulnerable.\"",
												"\"The Dead Three cultists receive regular payments from my brother, Amrik, who runs his own moneylending business out of a tavern called the Low Lantern. My mother doesn't expect much of me, but she thinks the world of Amrik. He's always been her favorite.\"",
												"\"My oldest brother, Thurstwell, uses imps as spies throughout the city. He has the bathhouse under surveillance and probably knows you're here. He's very sickly and seldom leaves our mother's estate.\"",
												"\"If you've made it this far, you've killed most of the leaders of the Dead Three cult. Without them, the cult will break up. The cultists keep their treasure nearby.\" (Mortlock points toward {@adventure area D30|BGDIA|1|D30. Tiamat's Stolen Treasure}.)"
											]
										},
										"If the characters let him go, Mortlock hides in the city until he can book passage on a ship and leave Baldur's Gate. He has no intention of ever returning.",
										"Mortlock is afraid to confront his mother or his brothers. That said, a successful DC 14 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check can convince him to help the characters capture or kill Amrik at the {@area Low Lantern|080|x}. After doing so, Mortlock leaves the city as quickly as possible to escape his mother's wrath.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/012-637000763477922224.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA}",
											"width": 399,
											"height": 584
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D30. Tiamat's Stolen Treasure",
									"page": 26,
									"id": "06f",
									"entries": [
										"A short flight of stairs climbs to a circular chamber with four padlocked wooden chests piled in the middle of it. The chests are locked, but characters might have wrested the keys from the iron consul in {@adventure area D12|BGDIA|1|D12. Bane's Altar}. A character can also use {@item thieves' tools|phb} to pick a padlock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 26,
											"id": "070",
											"entries": [
												"Each chest weighs 25 pounds empty, and all four contain loot stolen from Tiamat's hoard on Avernus. This treasure was brought to Baldur's Gate by devils in league with Zariel, and was given to the Dead Three cultists by {@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA} on behalf of his mother, {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}. The contents of each chest are described below.",
												"Chest 1 holds 4,500 cp and two red crystal vials with gold stoppers (25 gp each). Each vial contains a {@item potion of fire breath}. With the coins and vials inside, the chest weighs 70 pounds.",
												"Chest 2 contains ten eye agates (10 gp each) scattered amid 1,250 sp. With the coins and gemstones inside, the chest weighs 37 pounds.",
												"Chest 3 contains a delicate porcelain dragon mask (25 gp) resting on a bed of 2,400 cp and 500 sp. With the coins inside, the chest weighs 55 pounds. The mask weighs 1 pound.",
												"Chest 4 contains a bronze crown with five spires (250 gp). Each spire is shaped and painted to resemble one of the five kinds of chromatic dragons (black, blue, green, red, and white). The crown weighs 2½ pounds."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D31. Torches",
									"page": 27,
									"id": "071",
									"entries": [
										"A wooden crate is stored in this otherwise empty alcove. The crate can hold sixty torches, but is in need of restocking. Only five torches remain."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D32. Stolen Goods",
									"page": 27,
									"id": "072",
									"entries": [
										"Nine wooden crates are scattered throughout this room. Scurrying among them are six harmless {@creature Rat||rats} like the one encountered in {@adventure area D14|BGDIA|1|D14. Hungry Rat}.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 27,
											"id": "073",
											"entries": [
												"Six of the crates are empty except for packing straw. The other three contain stolen goods that the cultists have not yet disbursed, including ten days' worth of rations, a {@item Caltrops (bag of 20)|PHB|bag of twenty caltrops}, three {@item Alchemist's Fire (flask)|PHB|flasks of alchemist's fire}, six sets of {@item manacles|PHB}, four {@item Tinderbox|PHB|tinderboxes}, nine {@item Dagger|PHB|daggers}, and four {@item Potion of Healing||potions of healing} in glass vials."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "D33. Covenant of the Dead Three",
									"page": 27,
									"id": "074",
									"entries": [
										"If Vaaz fled {@adventure area D29|BGDIA|1|D29. Mortlock Vanthampur}, he's standing in front of the statues in the west section of the room, his sputtering torch lying on the floor near his feet. Describe the room to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "075",
											"entries": [
												"Burned torch stubs litter the floor of this hall, the western end of which is occupied by three six-foot-tall, painted wooden statues. Each statue stands atop a two-foot-high block of red stone, making it look taller and foreboding.",
												"The center statue resembles a heavily armored man whose face is hidden behind the fearsome visor of his helmet. He's painted red except for his right gauntlet, which is black. Clutched in this gauntlet is a blood-red spear, pointed upward. The statue to the north depicts a purple-garbed male noble wearing a harlequin mask and holding a dagger behind his back. The statue to the south portrays a black-robed skeleton with its jaw opened wide and its bony hands outstretched."
											]
										},
										"Banites, Bhaalites, and Myrkulites convene in this room to plan attacks against the city above. These meetings are often contentious, though the followers of Bhaal and Myrkul usually bend to the whims of the more strategically minded Bane worshipers.",
										"Each statue is solid wood and weighs 150 pounds. A statue can be knocked off its pedestal with a successful DC 10 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Bane Statue",
											"page": 27,
											"id": "076",
											"entries": [
												"The statue of the armored man represents Bane. Its spear is real but nonmagical. The first time any humanoid comes within 5 feet of this statue, it must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or be compelled to kneel. While kneeling before the statue, the creature can't move or take actions or reactions. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Bhaal Statue",
											"page": 27,
											"id": "077",
											"entries": [
												"This statue's harlequin mask is a separate piece that can be unhinged and removed, revealing Bhaal's ghastly, skull-like visage underneath."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Myrkul Statue",
											"page": 27,
											"id": "078",
											"entries": [
												"Anyone who desecrates this statue is cursed by the Lord of Bones. Until the curse is ended with a {@spell remove curse} spell or similar magic, the offender gains no benefit from magical healing."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Surprise! Dragon Cultists!",
							"page": 27,
							"id": "079",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters rid the dungeon of the worshipers of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul, any remaining followers of the Dead Three avoid the dungeon and the bathhouse once they realize those locations are no longer safe.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/013-ubtk4-01-04.webp"
									},
									"title": "Ultiss, cultist of Tiamat",
									"width": 568,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"As the characters exit the dungeon and leave the bathhouse, they have one final encounter in the courtyard ({@adventure area D1|BGDIA|1|D1. Courtyard}). Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to set the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "07a",
									"entries": [
										"As you emerge from the bathhouse, five figures leap down from the top of the courtyard wall to confront you. In addition to their black leather armor, they wear strange masks and cloaks that give each of them a vaguely dragon-like appearance. All five brandish curved steel blades reminiscent of dragon claws."
									]
								},
								"The figures are four human {@creature Cultist||cultists} of Tiamat led by a male human {@creature cult fanatic} named Ultiss. These chaotic evil worshipers of Tiamat have been sent by {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA} (see {@area chapter 3|247|x}) to retrieve the treasure stolen from the dragon queen's hoard on Avernus by agents of Zariel\u2014treasure given to Duke Vanthampur and her sons to buy the loyalty of the Dead Three followers.",
								"Guided by visions sent to them by Tiamat, the cultists know when they're within 1,000 feet of her stolen loot. If the characters took any of the treasure from {@adventure area D30|BGDIA|1|D30. Tiamat's Stolen Treasure}, the cultists attack them to get it back. Otherwise, the cultists demand that the characters stand aside and not meddle in their business. Once they secure the dragon queen's lost treasure, the cultists plan to hunt down and kill the Vanthampurs and anyone else in Baldur's Gate considered to be an agent of Zariel. Cultists who survive this encounter can show up at a later time to help or hinder the characters, at your discretion.",
								"If it's present when the cultists of Tiamat confront the characters, the {@condition invisible} {@creature imp} in {@adventure area D1|BGDIA|1|D1. Courtyard} quietly observes the interaction before reporting back to {@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA} at his family's villa."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Where Next?",
							"page": 28,
							"id": "07b",
							"entries": [
								"Convinced that his two older brothers conspired to kill him, {@creature Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA} urges the characters to capture or kill Amrik at a dockside tavern called the Low Lantern. The adventure assumes that the characters visit this location next. If the characters require an additional incentive to go after Amrik, Mortlock assures them that his mother values Amrik's well-being enough to negotiate for his release if the characters capture him. He suggests that it would be most unwise to oppose a duke of Baldur's Gate without leverage. If the characters decide to attack Vanthampur Villa instead, skip to the \"{@area Vanthampur Villa|096|x}\" section.",
								"Having conquered the Dungeon of the Dead Three, the characters should advance to 3rd level before they head off to the Low Lantern or Vanthampur Villa.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "More Dead Three Encounters",
									"page": 28,
									"id": "07c",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who clear out the Dungeon of the Dead Three might encounter more servants of Bane, Bhaal, or Myrkul in other parts of Baldur's Gate. These villains (see {@adventure appendix D|BGDIA|13}) usually operate as mixed groups of Banites, Bhaalites, and Myrkulites. Here are a few appropriate encounters for a party of four or five characters of 3rd to 5th level:",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Abduction Squad (for 3rd-level characters)",
											"page": 28,
											"id": "07d",
											"entries": [
												"Four {@creature Fist of Bane|BGDIA|fists of Bane}, three {@creature Night Blade|BGDIA|night blades}, and two {@creature Necromite of Myrkul|BGDIA|necromites of Myrkul} try to capture one or more city residents, in the hopes of torturing or ransoming them."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Murder Squad (for 4th-level characters)",
											"page": 28,
											"id": "07e",
											"entries": [
												"An {@creature iron consul|BGDIA} with two {@creature Fist of Bane|BGDIA|fists of Bane} as bodyguards uses three {@creature Night Blade|BGDIA|night blades} as scouts and assassins to pick off random passersby. A {@creature skull lasher of Myrkul|BGDIA} provides magical support, casting {@spell darkness} spells to confound foes and facilitate escape."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Revenge Squad (for 5th-level characters)",
											"page": 28,
											"id": "07f",
											"entries": [
												"A {@creature black gauntlet of Bane|BGDIA} comes after the characters with two {@creature Reaper of Bhaal|BGDIA|reapers of Bhaal} and a {@creature master of souls|BGDIA}, who commands an undead force of six {@creature Skeleton||skeletons} or four {@creature Zombie||zombies}."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Low Lantern",
					"page": 28,
					"id": "080",
					"entries": [
						"The Low Lantern is an aging, three-masted merchant ship permanently docked on the east side of the harbor. Far past the point of being seaworthy, the vessel was converted into a tavern and gambling house that is open all day and night. The dice game Baldur's Bones is just as popular here as in other taverns throughout Baldur's Gate (see the \"{@area Taverns in Baldur's Gate|01f|x}\" sidebar).",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "About the Tavern",
							"page": 28,
							"id": "081",
							"entries": [
								"The Low Lantern's location is marked on {@adventure map 1.1|BGDIA|1|Map 1.1: Baldur's Gate}, while {@adventure map 1.4|BGDIA|1|Map 1.4: The Low Lantern} shows its interior. Describe the tavern to the players as follows:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "082",
									"entries": [
										"Fog obscures the Low Lantern until you get within a hundred feet of it, whereupon its tall masts and creaking bulk come into view. The converted ship has rigging but no sails, and is anchored to the wharf by thick chains. A wooden staircase climbs from the wharf's edge to the main deck. A lantern at the bow casts an eerie green light to signify that the tavern is open for business."
									]
								},
								"The Low Lantern is quiet during the day, with just a few patrons drinking and gambling below decks. The place comes alive at night, and is a popular site for conducting clandestine meetings with some of the city's least scrupulous inhabitants, including pirates and off-duty Flaming Fist mercenaries.",
								"The owner and proprietor is Laraelra Thundreth, a middle-aged female human {@creature mage} known as \"the Captain\" to her staff and regular patrons. Laraelra is neutral and doesn't concern herself with the private affairs of her clientele, nor does she mind when visitors get rowdy or turn violent\u2014as long as they're willing to pay for damages afterward. In public, Laraelra is often seen with her {@creature crab} familiar perched on one shoulder. From dawn till noon, she retires to her cabin ({@area area L4|089|x}) to eat, rest, and read her spellbook.",
								"The Low Lantern serves drinks and snacks, but no meals. At any given time, the staff includes two {@creature kenku} bartenders and six bouncers (human {@creature Thug||thugs}). The staff operates in three eight-hour shifts, with one group leaving as the next shift arrives."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Tavern Patrons",
							"page": 28,
							"id": "083",
							"entries": [
								"The Low Lantern attracts the city's least affluent residents, as well as foreign merchants and sailors with coin to lose. Patrons who are present during the characters' initial visit include the following:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Grimboot (lawful evil {@creature duergar}), a gruff, cross-eyed leg breaker who collects debts for the local thieves' guild",
										"Hitoshi Jade (neutral human {@creature commoner}), a drunken sailor from a merchant ship called the {@i Golden Gull}, owned by the Irlentree patriar family",
										"Jorunn Nighbury (neutral human {@creature commoner}), a shy horse breeder employed by the Belt patriar family but burdened by gambling debt",
										"Skadric Salakar (neutral evil human {@creature veteran}), a lazy Flaming Fist soldier who was suspended for a tenday without pay for dereliction of duty",
										"Prynn Derringwhistle (lawful neutral strongheart halfling {@creature commoner}), a spectacles-wearing barnacle scraper who likes to belt out old sea shanties",
										"Aerith and Beldan (chaotic good {@creature drow}), awkward and inseparable twins who left the Underdark in search of adventure on the surface"
									]
								},
								"{@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA} runs his own business out of the Low Lantern with Laraelra's consent. Characters looking for him are directed to {@area area L6|08e|x}.",
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/014-ouor1-map-1-4-dm.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 1.4: The Low Lantern",
											"width": 6333,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 177,
												"offsetX": -65,
												"offsetY": 27
											},
											"id": "32b",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "088",
													"points": [
														[
															505,
															1431
														],
														[
															542,
															1163
														],
														[
															578,
															982
														],
														[
															655,
															745
														],
														[
															772,
															582
														],
														[
															1255,
															582
														],
														[
															1348,
															751
														],
														[
															1394,
															880
														],
														[
															1458,
															1117
														],
														[
															1486,
															1431
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "085",
													"points": [
														[
															502,
															1452
														],
														[
															1483,
															1452
														],
														[
															1495,
															1634
														],
														[
															1508,
															1785
														],
														[
															1511,
															2003
														],
														[
															1498,
															2311
														],
														[
															498,
															2311
														],
														[
															489,
															2083
														],
														[
															492,
															1775
														],
														[
															492,
															1618
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "087",
													"points": [
														[
															498,
															2338
														],
														[
															517,
															2538
														],
														[
															578,
															2815
														],
														[
															674,
															3003
														],
														[
															1326,
															3003
														],
														[
															1415,
															2843
														],
														[
															1468,
															2615
														],
														[
															1495,
															2338
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "089",
													"points": [
														[
															2292,
															1080
														],
														[
															2360,
															883
														],
														[
															2428,
															732
														],
														[
															2517,
															606
														],
														[
															3025,
															606
														],
														[
															3105,
															751
														],
														[
															3175,
															920
														],
														[
															3243,
															1132
														],
														[
															3258,
															1428
														],
														[
															2778,
															1428
														],
														[
															2778,
															1080
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "08c",
													"points": [
														[
															2295,
															1117
														],
														[
															2739,
															1117
														],
														[
															2739,
															1465
														],
														[
															3266,
															1465
														],
														[
															3289,
															1714
														],
														[
															3280,
															2000
														],
														[
															3277,
															2446
														],
														[
															3225,
															2735
														],
														[
															3194,
															2892
														],
														[
															3077,
															3102
														],
														[
															2948,
															3243
														],
														[
															2763,
															3366
														],
														[
															2603,
															3237
														],
														[
															2397,
															3009
														],
														[
															2289,
															2717
														],
														[
															2255,
															2320
														],
														[
															2243,
															2003
														],
														[
															2255,
															1674
														],
														[
															2258,
															1378
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "08e",
													"points": [
														[
															4132,
															668
														],
														[
															4052,
															785
														],
														[
															3985,
															978
														],
														[
															3938,
															1215
														],
														[
															3908,
															1603
														],
														[
															3889,
															2003
														],
														[
															3895,
															2363
														],
														[
															3951,
															2757
														],
														[
															4040,
															2957
														],
														[
															4145,
															3105
														],
														[
															4360,
															3295
														],
														[
															4517,
															3145
														],
														[
															4652,
															2938
														],
														[
															4726,
															2785
														],
														[
															4766,
															2520
														],
														[
															4797,
															2071
														],
														[
															4760,
															1329
														],
														[
															4751,
															1151
														],
														[
															4674,
															902
														],
														[
															4560,
															668
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "08f",
													"points": [
														[
															5440,
															1248
														],
														[
															5455,
															1116
														],
														[
															5486,
															983
														],
														[
															5543,
															848
														],
														[
															5604,
															747
														],
														[
															5924,
															747
														],
														[
															5994,
															842
														],
														[
															6051,
															1053
														],
														[
															6082,
															1248
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "090",
													"points": [
														[
															5432,
															1295
														],
														[
															5423,
															1531
														],
														[
															5415,
															2004
														],
														[
															5411,
															2206
														],
														[
															5427,
															2387
														],
														[
															5459,
															2558
														],
														[
															5486,
															2676
														],
														[
															5598,
															2874
														],
														[
															5758,
															3038
														],
														[
															5931,
															2874
														],
														[
															6036,
															2726
														],
														[
															6072,
															2545
														],
														[
															6114,
															2234
														],
														[
															6109,
															2044
														],
														[
															6097,
															1345
														],
														[
															6084,
															1295
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/014-ouor1-map-1-4-dm.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/015-a4sl5-map-1-4.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 5964,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 164,
												"offsetX": -5,
												"offsetY": -60
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "32b",
												"autoScale": true
											}
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Tavern Locations",
							"page": 29,
							"id": "084",
							"entries": [
								"The following area descriptions are keyed to map 1.4.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L1. Main Deck",
									"page": 29,
									"id": "085",
									"entries": [
										"Describe this area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "086",
											"entries": [
												"The main deck of the old ship features wooden steps that climb to the forecastle and aftcastle, and another set of stairs descending into the ship. A padlocked wooden hatch fitted with windows acts as a skylight for the deck below\u2014the tavern proper, visible through the hatch's glass panes. Four dead seagulls lie on the deck and two ravens squawk at you from the crow's nest, a forty-foot climb up the ship's rigging."
											]
										},
										"The ravens are two {@creature Imp||imps} in shapechanged form. {@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA} uses the imps to keep an eye on his brother, {@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA|Amrik}. The imps take malevolent delight in killing any seagulls that happen by, and the tavern staff can't figure out why the decks are always littered with seagull carcasses. A character who examines a dead seagull and succeeds on a DC 13 Wisdom ({@skill Medicine}) check ascertains that the bird was stung to death.",
										"If the imps see Amrik leave the ship, they trail him to make sure he isn't being followed. If they realize Amrik is in danger, they swoop down to attack whoever appears to be threatening him. The imps otherwise avoid combat and turn {@condition invisible} to avoid capture or death."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L2. Forecastle",
									"page": 29,
									"id": "087",
									"entries": [
										"This deck is littered with the corpses of {@dice 1d4} dead seagulls (see area L1 for more information). Hanging off the end of the ship's bow is the green-paned lantern that indicates the tavern is open for business. A staff member crawls to the end of the bow to douse the lantern, refill it with oil, and relight it at highsun every day.",
										"On warm, clear nights, Laraelra moves tables, chairs, and lanterns onto this deck so that clients can drink and gamble under the stars."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L3. Aftcastle",
									"page": 29,
									"id": "088",
									"entries": [
										"The captain's wheel and rudder are gone, leaving holes and empty fixtures where they used to be. As with {@area area L2|087|x}, Laraelra sometimes moves tables, chairs, and lanterns onto this deck so that clients can be outdoors on nights when the weather is nice.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/016-637001789236815068.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA}",
											"width": 360,
											"height": 614
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L4. Laraelra's Cabin",
									"page": 30,
									"id": "089",
									"entries": [
										"The lock on Laraelra's cabin door has rusted to the point of being useless, and she hasn't bothered to replace it. Consequently, her cabin is unlocked. One of the bouncers in {@area area L5|08c|x} keeps an eye on the door and roughs up anyone other than Laraelra who tries to open it.",
										"Describe the cabin's features to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "08a",
											"entries": [
												"This cabin is full of mismatched wooden furniture, including a bed with posts carved to resemble mermaids, a nightstand, a wardrobe, a writing desk with a fur-draped chair, and a small dining table surrounded by four plain chairs. Near the foot of the bed rests an ornately carved sea chest sealed with a padlock."
											]
										},
										"Laraelra hides the key to the chest in the adjacent bedpost, whose top unscrews to reveal the hidden compartment where the key is sequestered. The chest's padlock can otherwise be picked with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check made with {@item thieves' tools|phb}.",
										"In addition to the items described under \"Treasure\" below, the chest contains four flying daggers that attack anyone other than Laraelra who opens the chest. Use the {@creature flying sword} stat block to represent the daggers, but make these changes:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Each {@creature flying dagger|BGDIA} is a Tiny construct with 7 ({@dice 3d4}) hit points and a challenge rating of 1/8 (25 XP).",
												"Each {@creature flying dagger|BGDIA} deals 3 ({@dice 1d4 + 1}) piercing damage on a hit."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 30,
											"id": "08b",
											"entries": [
												"The chest contains a nice pair of boots, a bottle of fine wine (10 gp), a bundle of letters from an unnamed admirer, and Laraelra's spellbook, which contains all the spells she has prepared plus {@spell identify}, {@spell gust of wind}, {@spell magic weapon}, {@spell sending}, {@spell sleep}, and {@spell tongues}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L5. Taproom and Gambling Hall",
									"page": 30,
									"id": "08c",
									"entries": [
										"This is the busiest and noisiest part of the ship, and it reeks of sweat, cheap ale, rotting timbers, and old vomit. Three bouncers ({@creature Thug||thugs}) position themselves so they can see everything that happens here. If Laraelra is not in her cabin (area L4), she is seated at the short end of the bar with her crab familiar on her shoulder.",
										"Laraelra greets newcomers with a rehearsed speech:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "08d",
											"entries": [
												"\"Well met! My name is Laraelra Thundreth, but folks around here call me the Captain. If you're thirsting for a beverage or looking to gamble, you've come to the right place, but watch your step. Things can get pretty messy around here.\""
											]
										},
										"Use the \"Tavern Patrons\" section earlier to flesh out the occupants of this area as needed. There's always someone eager to play Baldur's Bones here.",
										"The tavern is lit by hanging oil lanterns and whatever natural light slips through the glass hatch and the ship's grimy portholes. Those portholes are 1½ feet in diameter, with rusty latches on the inside that hold them shut."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L6. Tavern Lounge",
									"page": 31,
									"id": "08e",
									"entries": [
										"This tavern lounge fills an entire deck and is lit by oil lanterns hanging from the 8-foot-high ceiling by 1-foot-long chains. The windowless deck contains a bar, couches, coffee tables, and tables where patrons can socialize and gamble. Three of Laraelra's bouncers ({@creature Thug||thugs}) stand in plain view across the deck.",
										"{@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA} has turned a pair of couches and a coffee table near the aft wall into his personal office. He runs a moneylending business from this location, and many of his regular clients are down-on-their-luck gamblers who can't cover their debts. In exchange for this space, Amrik pays for the wine that is delivered to the Low Lantern, making Laraelra's business profitable.",
										"Thirty-three-year-old Amrik sits alone on the starboard couch, his feet on the table and his eyes on the room. He keeps the port couch open for clients and employs two bodyguards. Kasharra, a {@creature spined devil}, perches on the back of Amrik's couch. Vhaltus, a sleepy-eyed lawful evil human {@creature thug} with red hair in a ponytail, sits at the closest end of the bar. Vhaltus carries a small sack containing 150 gp, which Amrik loans to clients. If he thinks his life is in real danger, Amrik detonates a concealed smoke bomb before fleeing up the stairs, leaving his bodyguards to cover his escape.",
										"Amrik loves to exchange pleasantries over drinks before conducting business. He has trained Laraelra's staff to recognize a variety of innocuous hand gestures that signal them to deliver drinks to the table. If he wants poison added to his clients' drinks, he has a secret sign for that. Hidden behind the bar is a small bottle containing four doses of {@item Torpor} (see \"{@book Poisons|DMG|8|Poisons}\" in chapter 8 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}), which the kenku bartender can use to spike drinks when Amrik gives the signal."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L7. Guest Cabin",
									"page": 31,
									"id": "08f",
									"entries": [
										"This guest cabin is not currently occupied. Its furnishings include a bed, a wardrobe, an empty desk, and a chair. An oil lantern hangs from a rusty hook bolted to the mast.",
										"The lock on the cabin door has rusted to the point of being useless, but the desk chair can be wedged under the doorknob to keep the door from being opened. If the chair is so used, opening the door requires a successful DC 13 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check and makes a lot of noise."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "L8. Sleeping Quarters",
									"page": 31,
									"id": "090",
									"entries": [
										"This area is prone to leaks, as the ship's hull is mostly submerged at this level. Puddles of water collect in areas where the floor has bowed, and the whole space reeks of vomit and urine.",
										"Four alcoves here are set with cheap cots where drunks can sleep off their hangovers. In the bow are four hammocks that serve a similar purpose. At any given time, {@dice 1d4} {@condition unconscious} {@creature Commoner||commoners} can be found throughout this area, sleeping off the effects of a too-wild night. If the characters wish to rob them, each commoner has a belt pouch containing {@dice 1d6} sp and {@dice 2d6} cp."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dealing with Amrik",
							"page": 31,
							"id": "091",
							"entries": [
								"Unless the characters attack him at once, Amrik assumes they've come to him for a loan. He is more than happy to provide one, up to a limit of 150 gp (the amount currently carried by his bodyguard Vhaltus). Amrik's terms are simple: he expects repayment in a tenday and charges 25 percent interest on the loan. As a member of the influential Vanthampur family, Amrik has plenty of muscle he can bring to bear against anyone who defaults on a loan, and his family's influence extends beyond Baldur's Gate.",
								"The characters might try to secure a loan, with or without the intention of paying it back. Characters who plan to rip off Amrik must succeed on a Charisma ({@skill Deception}) check contested by Amrik's Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check, as described under \"{@book Contests|PHB|7|Contests}\" in chapter 7 of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}.",
								"Characters can try to interrogate Amrik for information, but he's a practiced liar who won't incriminate himself or any family member he fears, including his mother and older brother. If the characters mention Mortlock, Amrik accuses that \"scar-faced hulk\" of consorting with the lowest of the low in Baldur's Gate to bring ruin to their family. Amrik's utter disdain for his younger brother is palpable, though he won't admit to his participation in a conspiracy to assassinate Mortlock. If the characters level accusations against him, Amrik tries to shift the blame to Mortlock. Failing that, he invokes his mother's name and reputation as a shield, hoping the characters will think twice about offending or harming the favored son of {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}.",
								"Amrik never battles to the death, and he surrenders if he can't fight, talk, or slither his way out of a perilous situation. If the characters defeat Amrik's bodyguards and take him prisoner, he does what he's told until an opportunity to escape presents itself. The staff of the Low Lantern do not intervene.",
								"If the characters kill Amrik aboard the Low Lantern, Laraelra warns them that his death will incur the wrath of {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}. She suggests that they flee Baldur's Gate at once\u2014before they end up as fish food at the bottom of the harbor."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Reya Mantlemorn",
							"page": 31,
							"id": "092",
							"entries": [
								"Before the characters leave the Low Lantern, a new arrival greets them. Read the following to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "093",
									"entries": [
										"A cloaked figure approaches, armor clanking with each step. One gloved hand rests on the hilt of a longsword. The other pulls back a cowl to reveal the face of a teenager with brown skin, red hair, and a haunting gaze."
									]
								},
								"The cloaked figure is Reya Mantlemorn, a lawful good female human Hellrider (use the {@creature veteran} stat block). Reya speaks Common.",
								"Born in the land of Turmish, Reya came to the holy city of Elturel to train as a Hellrider when she was twelve. As a faithful follower of Torm, Reya is prepared and has trained to sacrifice herself for the greater good.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Reya's Tale",
									"page": 32,
									"id": "094",
									"entries": [
										"Reya was training a few miles north of Elturel when the city vanished. She watched in disbelief as the Companion's light went out, turning black as the city appeared to crumble and sink below the horizon\u2014a horrific image that Reya has been unable to get out of her mind. She returned to Elturel to find a crater where the city once stood, then took it upon herself to lead a group of fearful refugees west to Baldur's Gate. Before the Flaming Fist closed the city gates, Reya and a handful of others managed to sneak inside, but they didn't get far before a group of Flaming Fist soldiers confronted them. The refugees scattered, and Reya soon found herself cornered by a Flaming Fist thug. She wounded the soldier with her longsword, fled down an alley, and stole a cloak to better conceal her armor and weapons. She's been a wanted fugitive ever since.",
										"Reya hasn't been in Baldur's Gate long, but she's quickly concluded that the city is a cesspool of corruption with death lurking around every foggy corner. She's investigating a rumor that {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, the high overseer of Elturel, is in the city. Reya hasn't confirmed whether the rumor is true, but reports say that Kreeg was seen in the company of four guards employed by the Vanthampur family. The Vanthampur estate is located in the Upper City, beyond her reach, but she has learned that {@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA} runs a business out of the Low Lantern. She aims to question him about the veracity of the rumor.",
										"Reya knows nothing of {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s treachery. She simply wants answers regarding what happened to Elturel. If it's possible to save the city, the Hellrider is prepared to do whatever it takes to do so. As for Baldur's Gate, she could care less what happens to it. \"I hope the rats eat it,\" she says scornfully.",
										"If the characters appear valiant and forthright, Reya takes a liking to them immediately. Once she realizes that her quest parallels theirs, she asks to join them as they prepare to visit Vanthampur Villa.",
										"If the characters reveal that they're working for the Flaming Fist, Reya draws her longsword in a panic, expecting to have to defend herself. Characters can allay her fears by saying they have no intention of arresting her. In the interests of full disclosure, Reya admits that she's being hunted by the Flaming Fist for an \"unfortunate altercation\" that wasn't entirely her fault."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "If Reya Joins the Party",
									"page": 32,
									"id": "095",
									"entries": [
										"Reya is willing to join the adventuring party if the characters let her. She has no friends in Baldur's Gate, and she can't reach Vanthampur Villa in the heavily guarded Upper City without help. She does her best to aid the party, as long as the characters' actions and decisions lead her closer to discovering the truth of what happened to Elturel. Once the city's fate becomes known to her, Reya leaps at any chance to rescue the city from the Nine Hells.",
										"As an NPC, Reya falls under the DM's control. But if running her becomes too much of a burden for you, see if one of the players wants to run Reya as a secondary character. You can provide the consenting player with a copy of the {@creature veteran} stat block in the {@book Monster Manual|MM}."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Vanthampur Villa",
					"page": 32,
					"id": "096",
					"entries": [
						"Vanthampur Villa is located in the Upper City, which is populated by the wealthiest residents of Baldur's Gate and heavily patrolled by the Watch. The villa's location is marked on {@adventure map 1.1|BGDIA|1|Map 1.1: Baldur's Gate}, while {@adventure map 1.5|BGDIA|1|Map 1.5: Vanthampur Villa} shows its interior. The villa connects with the dungeon and sewer complex shown on {@adventure map 1.6|BGDIA|1|Map 1.6: Under the Villa}.",
						"The characters might want to visit Vanthampur Villa after leaving the Dungeon of the Dead Three or paying a visit to {@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA} at the Low Lantern. If they take Amrik prisoner, they can count on Reya Mantlemorn to keep a close eye on him.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Getting to the Villa",
							"page": 32,
							"id": "097",
							"entries": [
								"Twenty {@creature Guard||guards} of the Watch vigilantly are posted at every gate to the Upper City. If the characters present the badges given to them by Captain Zodge, the Watch members let them pass through the gates, even if they are accompanied by a prisoner or a known fugitive such as Reya Mantlemorn. Any character without a badge is questioned and required to pay a gate toll of 2 cp.",
								"If the characters have Amrik as their prisoner, he does nothing to provoke a confrontation with the guards at the gate, fearing he might be hurt."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Vanthampur Family",
							"page": 32,
							"id": "098",
							"entries": [
								"Thalamra Vanthampur is a cunning, devil-worshiping beast of a woman in her late sixties who can stare down a hell hound without flinching. She is barrel-bodied, with strong hands and forearms that speak to her beginnings as a manual laborer. Her youth was spent in the cellars and sewers of Baldur's Gate, repairing pipes and clearing out the city's filth. Thalamra rose from such lowly work to become the minister of the city's sewers and waterworks. Now she dresses in the finery that suits her station as a duke of Baldur's Gate.",
								"Thalamra orchestrated the disappearance of Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} to fulfill her ultimate goal of becoming the new grand duke of Baldur's Gate. When not engaged in political matters, she conducts her most secret business in the dungeon complex below her villa.",
								"Thalamra is a widow three times over, and each of her dead husbands was kind enough to give her a son. Her oldest boy, Thurstwell, is a pale and sullen recluse in his forties. A veritable shut-in, he uses imps to spy on his brothers, Amrik and Mortlock. Thurstwell resents both of them\u2014Amrik for being their mother's favorite, and Mortlock for being a monstrous dolt.",
								"Thurstwell's real problem is that his mother doesn't see him as her successor, and is grooming Amrik to fill that role. Despite his jealousy, Thurstwell would never visit harm upon Amrik for fear of incurring his mother's wrath. Mortlock is a different matter, as it's been made abundantly clear that Thalamra would disown him had she not agreed to the dying wish of her third husband to look after Mortlock despite his countless imperfections.",
								"The last member of the Vanthampur family is Slobberchops, a mean-looking {@creature tressym|BGDIA} (winged cat) with a bobtail and numerous battle scars. Characters who encounter Slobberchops can try to befriend it (see {@area area V5|0a3|x}).",
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/017-47l11-map-1-5-dm.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 1.5: Vanthampur Villa",
											"width": 7370,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 140,
												"offsetX": 53,
												"offsetY": 28
											},
											"id": "32c",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "09d",
													"points": [
														[
															77,
															615
														],
														[
															77,
															1132
														],
														[
															1292,
															1132
														],
														[
															1292,
															615
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "09c",
													"points": [
														[
															1735,
															898
														],
														[
															1735,
															1825
														],
														[
															1883,
															1825
														],
														[
															1883,
															1970
														],
														[
															2422,
															1970
														],
														[
															2422,
															1702
														],
														[
															2683,
															1702
														],
														[
															2683,
															1661
														],
														[
															2852,
															1661
														],
														[
															2852,
															1691
														],
														[
															3142,
															1691
														],
														[
															3142,
															1837
														],
														[
															3557,
															1837
														],
														[
															3566,
															2569
														],
														[
															3446,
															2569
														],
														[
															3428,
															3132
														],
														[
															2871,
															3142
														],
														[
															2868,
															3412
														],
														[
															2274,
															3406
														],
														[
															2274,
															3274
														],
														[
															1763,
															3274
														],
														[
															1763,
															3419
														],
														[
															1151,
															3419
														],
														[
															1151,
															2849
														],
														[
															1005,
															2849
														],
														[
															1005,
															2422
														],
														[
															988,
															2422
														],
														[
															988,
															2264
														],
														[
															1008,
															2244
														],
														[
															1008,
															1837
														],
														[
															1295,
															1837
														],
														[
															1295,
															1686
														],
														[
															1612,
															1686
														],
														[
															1612,
															1832
														],
														[
															1646,
															1832
														],
														[
															1646,
															905
														],
														[
															1600,
															905
														],
														[
															1600,
															881
														],
														[
															1348,
															881
														],
														[
															1326,
															1052
														],
														[
															1326,
															1175
														],
														[
															215,
															1175
														],
														[
															215,
															3929
														],
														[
															3948,
															3929
														],
														[
															3948,
															1178
														],
														[
															3385,
															1178
														],
														[
															3385,
															898
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "09c",
													"points": [
														[
															1643,
															898
														],
														[
															1643,
															1831
														],
														[
															1735,
															1831
														],
														[
															1735,
															898
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0a8",
													"points": [
														[
															1058,
															1877
														],
														[
															1323,
															1877
														],
														[
															1323,
															1726
														],
														[
															1578,
															1726
														],
														[
															1578,
															1858
														],
														[
															1863,
															1858
														],
														[
															1863,
															2822
														],
														[
															1058,
															2822
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0a6",
													"points": [
														[
															1188,
															2852
														],
														[
															1855,
															2852
														],
														[
															1855,
															3231
														],
														[
															1717,
															3231
														],
														[
															1717,
															3378
														],
														[
															1188,
															3378
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0ab",
													"points": [
														[
															1892,
															2012
														],
														[
															2422,
															2012
														],
														[
															2422,
															2671
														],
														[
															2278,
															2671
														],
														[
															2278,
															3231
														],
														[
															1892,
															3231
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "09f",
													"points": [
														[
															2308,
															2705
														],
														[
															2308,
															3378
														],
														[
															2834,
															3378
														],
														[
															2834,
															2705
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0a2",
													"points": [
														[
															2858,
															2560
														],
														[
															2858,
															3105
														],
														[
															3403,
															3105
														],
														[
															3403,
															2560
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0a4",
													"points": [
														[
															3142,
															2271
														],
														[
															3142,
															2538
														],
														[
															3532,
															2538
														],
														[
															3532,
															2271
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0a5",
													"points": [
														[
															3138,
															1868
														],
														[
															3138,
															2258
														],
														[
															3545,
															2258
														],
														[
															3545,
															1868
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0a3",
													"points": [
														[
															2446,
															1723
														],
														[
															3114,
															1723
														],
														[
															3114,
															2535
														],
														[
															2828,
															2535
														],
														[
															2828,
															2680
														],
														[
															2446,
															2680
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0bb",
													"points": [
														[
															6065,
															320
														],
														[
															6065,
															868
														],
														[
															6612,
															868
														],
														[
															6612,
															320
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0b2",
													"points": [
														[
															4812,
															1868
														],
														[
															4812,
															2542
														],
														[
															5200,
															2542
														],
														[
															5200,
															1868
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0b1",
													"points": [
														[
															5237,
															1862
														],
														[
															5237,
															2548
														],
														[
															5643,
															2548
														],
														[
															5643,
															1862
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0ad",
													"points": [
														[
															4822,
															2566
														],
														[
															5658,
															2566
														],
														[
															5658,
															2003
														],
														[
															6185,
															2003
														],
														[
															6185,
															2822
														],
														[
															4822,
															2822
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0af",
													"points": [
														[
															4951,
															2837
														],
														[
															4951,
															3391
														],
														[
															5495,
															3391
														],
														[
															5495,
															2837
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0ae",
													"points": [
														[
															5511,
															2843
														],
														[
															5511,
															3271
														],
														[
															6065,
															3271
														],
														[
															6065,
															2843
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0b9",
													"points": [
														[
															6080,
															2843
														],
														[
															6080,
															3378
														],
														[
															6612,
															3378
														],
														[
															6612,
															2843
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0b6",
													"points": [
														[
															6197,
															1714
														],
														[
															6197,
															2400
														],
														[
															6898,
															2400
														],
														[
															6898,
															1714
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "0b4",
													"points": [
														[
															6200,
															2418
														],
														[
															6200,
															2815
														],
														[
															6892,
															2815
														],
														[
															6892,
															2418
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/017-47l11-map-1-5-dm.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/018-9v1gm-map-1-5.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 5649,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 99,
												"offsetY": 61
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "32c",
												"autoScale": true
											}
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "About the Villa",
							"page": 33,
							"id": "099",
							"entries": [
								"Vanthampur Villa is a stately stone edifice with a detached stable house. Both buildings have sloped rooftops covered with red clay tiles. A 12-foot-high stone wall encloses the villa. Lanterns hanging along the wall's interior are lit at dusk and extinguished at dawn to illuminate the yard and villa at night. The wall features three wooden gates\u2014the main entrance and a coach gate to the south, and a postern gate to the north.",
								"The villa's wooden doors and lead-framed windows aren't locked, and the Vanthampurs employ guards to patrol the yard (see {@area area V1|09c|x}). The guards live elsewhere and change shifts every six hours.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Servants",
									"page": 33,
									"id": "09a",
									"entries": [
										"The Vanthampurs employ four full-time live-in servants (all neutral human {@creature Commoner||commoners}):",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Fendrick Gray, a decrepit seventy-year-old butler",
												"Sarvinder Peck, a salty fifty-two-year-old groundskeeper and stable master",
												"Gabourey D'Vaelan, a fussy thirty-five-year-old cook",
												"Ambra Fallwater, a plainspoken nineteen-year-old maid"
											]
										},
										"Ambra is a recent hire to replace the previous maid, whom Duke Vanthampur threw down the stairs for breaking a vase."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Villa Locations",
							"page": 33,
							"id": "09b",
							"entries": [
								"The following area descriptions are keyed to {@adventure map 1.5|BGDIA|1|Map 1.5: Vanthampur Villa}.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V1. Yard",
									"page": 33,
									"id": "09c",
									"entries": [
										"Nine lawful evil human {@creature Guard||guards} patrol the yard in three groups of three. When the characters first arrive, these groups are located at the points marked \"V1\" on {@adventure map 1.5|BGDIA|1|Map 1.5: Vanthampur Villa}, and are circling the yard counterclockwise.",
										"The guards attack anyone who trespasses onto the estate without the consent or prior notification of Duke Vanthampur or one of her sons. If the characters have Amrik or Mortlock with them, they can convince either of the duke's sons to talk them past the guards. Otherwise, the characters need to kill the guards or sneak past them. The guards are too well paid to accept bribes, and they have no respect for the Flaming Fist. To sneak past a group of guards, each character must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) check. This check is made with advantage at night or in fog."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V2. Stable House",
									"page": 33,
									"id": "09d",
									"entries": [
										"This stone building contains stables for four {@creature Draft Horse||draft horses}, plus a fully equipped smithy with an anvil and a hearth. Sarvinder Peck (see \"{@area Servants|09a|x}\" above) can be encountered here, making and fitting new shoes for the horses.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Trapdoor",
											"page": 33,
											"id": "09e",
											"entries": [
												"A 3-foot-square flagstone in the southwest corner of the stable doubles as a hidden trapdoor in the floor. Any character who searches the area finds the trapdoor with a successful DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check. The stone covers a brick-walled shaft and a wooden ladder that descends 15 feet to {@area area V27|0cf|x} of the dungeon. If the Vanthampurs need to flee the dungeon, they can use the trapdoor to reach their horses quickly.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/019-637000771038732405.webp"
													},
													"title": "{@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA}",
													"width": 389,
													"height": 668
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V3. Foyer",
									"page": 34,
									"id": "09f",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters knock on the front doors, the butler, Fendrick Gray (see \"{@area Servants|09a|x}\"), makes his way here from {@area area V10|0ab|x} to greet them. He ushers them in if they are expected, but turns them away otherwise.",
										"Describe this area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0a0",
											"entries": [
												"Apart from the main entrance, this room has two exits. A plaster shelf lined with ornate vases circles the room at a height of nine feet. Spread across the flagstone floor is a ten-foot-wide, fifteen-foot-long rug of exquisite design, depicting a royal coronation. Two tapestries hanging on the walls depict a dragon flying over a ship and pilgrims on camels, respectively."
											]
										},
										"Four {@condition invisible} {@creature Imp||imps} lurk among the vases on the high shelf, one in each corner. The imps swoop down to attack anyone they perceive as intruders, including characters who have Mortlock or Amrik as a prisoner.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 34,
											"id": "0a1",
											"entries": [
												"The vases, rug, and tapestries are valuable art objects, though they don't go well together. Each of the sixteen vases weighs 2 pounds and is worth 25 gp. The rug weighs 50 pounds and is worth 250 gp. Each of the two tapestries weighs 5 pounds and is worth 75 gp."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V4. Servants' Quarters",
									"page": 34,
									"id": "0a2",
									"entries": [
										"This undecorated room contains four single beds and a dining table for the manor's servants. The servants keep spare uniforms and other personal belongings in drawers under their beds. Nothing of value is kept here."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V5. Kitchen",
									"page": 34,
									"id": "0a3",
									"entries": [
										"Pleasant aromas fill this area throughout the day as cook Gabourey D'Vaelan (see \"{@area Servants|09a|x}\") prepares meals for the Vanthampurs and their staff. Gabourey doesn't like other people in the kitchen while she works.",
										"Pots, pans, and cooking utensils dangle above three wooden preparation tables in the middle of the room, and shelves are lined with bowls, platters, herbs, spices, and dried goods. A dumbwaiter with a manually operated rope-and-pulley system allows meals to be delivered to Duke Vanthampur's bedroom ({@area area V17|0b6|x}). A tiny bell near the dumbwaiter rings whenever the duke wants food sent up to her.",
										"Slobberchops the {@creature tressym|BGDIA} prowls the kitchen, killing rats and eating whatever Gabourey drops on the floor. Slobberchops has no loyalty to the Vanthampur family, and detests Thurstwell and his imp spies. The {@creature tressym|BGDIA} befriends any character who feeds it, following that character around the house and using its Detect Invisibility trait to warn of {@condition invisible} imps nearby."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V6. Pantry",
									"page": 34,
									"id": "0a4",
									"entries": [
										"Food and drink is stored on shelves in this musty room."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V7. Stairs Down",
									"page": 34,
									"id": "0a5",
									"entries": [
										"This room contains a barrel of fresh water and a brick-walled staircase that descends 15 feet to {@area area V20|0c1|x}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V8. Parlor",
									"page": 35,
									"id": "0a6",
									"entries": [
										"While entertaining visitors in this room, the duke likes to sit in an austere, high-backed chair facing a pair of padded couches and a coffee table. A hidden compartment in the left armrest of the duke's chair contains a silvered dagger. A character who examines the chair can locate the hidden compartment with a successful DC 12 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check.",
										"Thin drapes cover the windows to diffuse the natural light, and the walls are lined with framed paintings of the duke, her three dead husbands, her three sons, and the family's winged cat, Slobberchops.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 35,
											"id": "0a7",
											"entries": [
												"A tapestry hanging on the north wall depicts burning angels falling from the sky into a pit of fire. The tapestry weighs 5 pounds and is worth 150 gp."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V9. Dining Room",
									"page": 35,
									"id": "0a8",
									"entries": [
										"Thalamra Vanthampur and her sons gather here once a tenday for an always-tense family dinner. Read the following when the characters can see this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0a9",
											"entries": [
												"An iron-wrought chandelier hangs above a black oak dining table surrounded by eight high-backed chairs carved to look like devils. A fireplace dominates one wall, flanked by red-curtained windows. A handsome, glass-doored wine cabinet stands against one wall."
											]
										},
										"Perched on the chandelier are three {@condition invisible} {@creature Imp||imps} that behave like the imps in {@area area V3|09f|x}. A rope-and-pulley mechanism allows the chandelier to be lowered and raised. The rope is tied around a hook mounted on the east wall near the wine cabinet.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 35,
											"id": "0aa",
											"entries": [
												"The cabinet contains a set of eight red crystal goblets (25 gp each) and sixteen bottles of wine. Fifteen of the bottles contain fine wine (10 gp each). The last bottle is laced with {@item Midnight Tears}, a tasteless poison (see \"{@book Poisons|DMG|8|Poisons}\" in chapter 8 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}). This tainted bottle is set aside for guests whom the duke intends to eliminate."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V10. Gallery",
									"page": 35,
									"id": "0ab",
									"entries": [
										"Black curtains are drawn over the windows to the south, keeping this hall dark and cool. Unless otherwise occupied, Fendrick Gray, the venerable butler, paces the hall with a lantern while the maid, Ambra Fallwater, dusts (see \"{@area Servants|09a|x}\"). A wooden staircase at the north end of the hall climbs 15 feet to {@area area V11|0ad|x}.",
										"This gallery contains an eclectic collection of tapestries, paintings, and alabaster busts on pedestals meant to impress guests. The duke bought the pieces thinking them to be valuable art objects, but all are knockoffs acquired from dubious sources. The haphazardly assembled collection is a testament to bad taste.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Wax Statue",
											"page": 35,
											"id": "0ac",
											"entries": [
												"A 6-foot-tall wax statue in one corner depicts {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA} cradling the family pet, Slobberchops, in her arms. The {@creature tressym|BGDIA} has a wax rat in its mouth. Visitors who enter the gallery from the foyer ({@area area V3|09f|x}) are often startled by the statue because of its location just inside the door and its lifelike appearance."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V11. Upstairs Hall",
									"page": 35,
									"id": "0ad",
									"entries": [
										"Lanterns hang from the rafters of this drafty hall. The staircase to the north descends 15 feet to area V10.",
										"Five lawful evil human {@creature Guard||guards} stand watch here\u2014one by each door. They attack anyone not accompanied by a Vanthampur family member. If they hear trouble elsewhere, the guards can't be {@quickref Surprise|PHB|3|0|surprised}, but they stay put unless ordered to move by a member of the family. Combat here alerts {@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA} in {@area area V13|0af|x}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V12. Balcony",
									"page": 35,
									"id": "0ae",
									"entries": [
										"A crenelated stone battlement encloses this balcony overlooking the front yard. It's a 15-foot drop from the balcony to the ground."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V13. Thurstwell's Bedroom",
									"page": 35,
									"id": "0af",
									"entries": [
										"Drab curtains cover the windows of this plain room, which contains a bed, a padlocked iron chest, a claw-footed iron bathtub, and a fireplace. Standing in the middle of the room is {@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA}, a frail and hateful forty-two-year-old man clutching an {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA} (see \"Treasure\" below). If alerted to intruders, Thurstwell has locked the puzzle box in the iron chest and tucked the key into his robe pocket.",
										"Thurstwell commands several imp spies who enter and leave his room through the chimney, but only one such creature is present when the characters arrive. This {@creature imp} is {@condition invisible}, lurks in the fireplace, and attacks anyone who threatens Thurstwell.",
										"Thurstwell greets intruders in the most uncivil fashion\u2014by casting {@spell sacred flame} at the nearest one. On the same turn, he casts {@spell sanctuary} on himself as a bonus action and uses his movement to cower behind the bed while the imp defends him. If taken prisoner, he whines about the failure of his guards to protect him and bides his time, hoping his captors get in over their heads and afford him a chance to escape. If interrogated, he offers the following information in exchange for his release:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"His mother, the duke, is in the dungeon below the villa with {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}. She and the former high overseer of Elturel are plotting to seize control of Baldur's Gate.",
												"He and his brothers recently stole the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} from a crypt under the city. A powerful devil named Gargauth is trapped in the shield, and has vowed to help the Vanthampurs conquer Baldur's Gate if released. {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} is confident that he can devise a way to release Gargauth from the shield.",
												"Thavius arrived in the city a few days ago with the puzzle box. The duke insisted that Thavius let the family safeguard the item while he studies the shield."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 35,
											"id": "0b0",
											"entries": [
												"The {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA} is a new magic item described in {@adventure Appendix C|BGDIA|12}. Each puzzle box is unique in its design. This particular box belongs to {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} and was entrusted to Duke Vanthampur for safekeeping. Curious to know what's inside the box, the duke gave it to Thurstwell\u2014supposedly her smartest son\u2014to see if he could open it, but he's had no luck so far. Thurstwell can be threatened into relinquishing the box, or it can easily be taken from him. However, opening the box is beyond the ability of any of the characters. Falaster Fisk, a spy imprisoned in the dungeon ({@area area V29|0d3|x}), can advise the characters that taking the box to {@area Candlekeep|0f1|x} is their best bet for learning what it contains. The box holds a copy of the contract Thavius forged with Zariel to doom the city of Elturel.",
												"The padlock on the chest can be picked by a character with {@item thieves' tools|phb} who succeeds on a DC 15 Dexterity check. The chest weighs 50 pounds and contains a jumble of wrinkled garments, red wax candles, quills, blank sheets of parchment, and jars of ink. It also holds an unlocked wooden coffer containing 73 gp, 120 sp, and a {@item potion of healing}, as well as a black-covered tome titled {@i Apocalypto}\u2014a poetic prophecy by an unknown author envisioning the end of the multiverse (worth 50 gp)."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V14. Mortlock's Bedroom",
									"page": 36,
									"id": "0b1",
									"entries": [
										"This dark room contains a bed, a wooden chest with clawed feet, and a night table. The chest weighs 25 pounds and contains a few drab garments made for a man of Mortlock's size, a few worthless personal effects, and a stuffed troll doll from Mortlock's childhood."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V15. Amrik's Bedroom",
									"page": 36,
									"id": "0b2",
									"entries": [
										"This tastefully appointed room contains a bed, a side table, a claw-footed iron bathtub, a fireplace, and an iron-banded wooden chest. A three-foot-wide, six-foot-tall mirror is mounted to the east wall opposite the fireplace. The mirror's varnished wooden frame is carved with images of rats, ravens, and spiders.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 36,
											"id": "0b3",
											"entries": [
												"Amrik's chest contains neatly folded and tailored apparel to fit a slender noble, and a jewelry box carved from bone (10 gp). This tiny box contains a gold signet ring (5 gp) bearing the Vanthampur motto, \"Stone hearts never bleed.\""
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V16. Duke's Powder Room",
									"page": 36,
									"id": "0b4",
									"entries": [
										"This room contains a vanity topped with a framed oval mirror, bottles of perfume, brushes, cosmetics, needles, and spools of thread. Other furnishings in the room include a folding wooden partition adorned with a bird of prey rendered in gold leaf, a tall black wardrobe filled with corsets and fine clothes, and a decorative gold rug laid out in front of three unlocked wooden chests. One chest is full of shoes, another contains three old bridal gowns, and the third contains seasonal hats.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 36,
											"id": "0b5",
											"entries": [
												"The vanity holds six bottles of fine perfume (20 gp each), a silver hairbrush inlaid with lapis lazuli (100 gp), and a wooden jewelry box with electrum filigree (75 gp) holding a pearl necklace (250 gp), a platinum cameo shaped like a winged cat (50 gp), and two {@item Potion of Healing||potions of healing} in thin crystal vials."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V17. Master Bedroom",
									"page": 36,
									"id": "0b6",
									"entries": [
										"Duke Vanthampur retires to this chamber when she needs to rest or shake off a headache. She also takes most of her meals here. Food is delivered via a dumbwaiter in the southwest corner (see {@area area V5|0a3|x} for details), which has a cord that rings a bell in the kitchen. Other features of the room include a canopied bed with a gossamer shroud for keeping insects at bay, a freestanding wooden privacy screen, a cast-iron bathtub with clawed feet, a fireplace, and a padlocked iron chest. The padlock is cast in the shape of a horned devil's scowling visage. Thalamra Vanthampur carries the key to the padlock (see {@area area V28|0d0|x}), which can be picked by a character with {@item thieves' tools|phb} who succeeds on a DC 17 Dexterity check.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 36,
											"id": "0b7",
											"entries": [
												"The chest weighs 65 pounds and is trapped (see \"Trap\" below). It contains three thin, black-covered ledgers with entries written in Infernal (records of Duke Vanthampur's legitimate business dealings), a set of {@item calligrapher's supplies|PHB} (15 gp), a {@item poisoner's kit|PHB} (50 gp), a coin pouch made from a sheep's bladder (containing 22 pp, 85 gp, and 113 sp), and {@item pipes of the sewers}."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Trap",
											"page": 36,
											"id": "0b8",
											"entries": [
												"The chest has a false bottom underlaid with metal springs. The combined weight of the items in the chest holds the false bottom down, but if three or more items are removed, the false bottom rises and pulls the cork out of a thin glass vial hidden underneath it. The uncorked vial releases a cloud of poisonous gas that fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the chest. The cloud is stationary and lasts for 1 minute, or until it's dispersed by a strong wind. Any creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 11 ({@dice 2d10}) poison damage."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V18. Duke's Study",
									"page": 36,
									"id": "0b9",
									"entries": [
										"An oak writing desk angled to face the middle of the room has a matching chair behind it and two black candlesticks atop it. Other furnishings include three bookcases and a freestanding suit of black plate armor topped with a bucket helm and equipped with a longsword and a shield. A wrought-iron spiral staircase leads up to {@area area V19|0bb|x}.",
										"The suit of armor is a {@creature helmed horror} that was fashioned on Avernus. The construct understands Infernal but can't speak, and it is immune to the following spells: {@spell fire bolt}, {@spell sacred flame}, and {@spell shocking grasp}. The only creatures permitted in this area are Duke Vanthampur and her sons. If any other creature enters the room unescorted, a fiery orange light fills the helmed horror's hollow interior as it attacks. The helmed horror pursues intruders beyond the room, returning here only after the trespassers leave the villa or are hacked to pieces.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Bookcases",
											"page": 36,
											"id": "0ba",
											"entries": [
												"Duke Vanthampur abhors reading but keeps a modest library of fine literature for the sake of appearances. Her study contains two hundred books. A character who spends 1 hour sifting through the collection can find twenty rare first editions (25 gp each). The remaining books are worth 5 gp each to interested buyers, except for a worthless book titled {@i Last Charge of the Hellriders}. A cavity cut into its pages holds a small iron ring with two keys hanging from it. These keys unlock the cages in area V19."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V19. Tower Peak",
									"page": 36,
									"id": "0bb",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters climb the wrought-iron spiral staircase from area V18, describe this room as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0bc",
											"entries": [
												"The spiral staircase climbs fifteen feet to a square room with crisscrossing rafters ten feet overhead and a peaked roof above that. An empty bookcase dominates the west wall, and two filthy padlocked cages stand on the floor. Each cage holds a human prisoner and a chamberpot."
											]
										},
										"The keys to open the cages' padlocks can be found in {@area area V18|0b9|x}. A character with {@item thieves' tools|phb} can also pick a lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. The locks can't be picked from inside the cages.",
										"Perched atop the cages are two {@condition invisible} {@creature Imp||imps}. When no one else is around, the imps torment the prisoners with idle threats and taunts, and the prisoners know not to speak or cry out lest the imps sting them. The imps avoid combat with well-armed intruders. If anyone tries to free a prisoner, the {@condition invisible} imp closest to that prisoner slips through the bars of the cage and stings the prisoner to death, turning visible as it does so. On its next turn, the imp turns {@condition invisible} and takes refuge above the rafters.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Prisoners",
											"page": 37,
											"id": "0bd",
											"entries": [
												"The prisoner in the northern cage is Shaleen Zoraz (neutral female human {@creature commoner}), a sewer maintenance supervisor who was backing an effort to extend the Lower City's sewer system into the underground space occupied by the {@area Dungeon of the Dead Three|03a|x}. Duke Vanthampur plans to hold Shaleen for a few days before letting her go. The imps have so terrorized Shaleen that, if freed, she intends to abandon her expansion plans and never say an unkind word about the Vanthampurs for the rest of her life.",
												"The prisoner in the southern cage is Kaejil Orûnmar (neutral evil male human {@creature commoner}), a tax collector who has been giving the Vanthampurs a hard time. Once Duke Vanthampur is satisfied that no one important will miss him, she plans to kill Kaejil and feed his remains to the rats in the city sewers. If freed, Kaejil plans to leave Baldur's Gate and never return."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Under the Villa",
					"page": 37,
					"id": "0be",
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "gallery",
							"images": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/020-zb6kf-map-1-6-dm.webp"
									},
									"title": "Map 1.6: Under the Villa",
									"width": 6105,
									"height": 4000,
									"imageType": "map",
									"grid": {
										"type": "square",
										"size": 93,
										"offsetX": -16,
										"offsetY": -10
									},
									"id": "32d",
									"mapRegions": [
										{
											"area": "0de",
											"points": [
												[
													1393,
													744
												],
												[
													1393,
													1278
												],
												[
													1940,
													1278
												],
												[
													1940,
													744
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c5",
											"points": [
												[
													1002,
													1305
												],
												[
													1002,
													1469
												],
												[
													2353,
													1469
												],
												[
													2353,
													1305
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0db",
											"points": [
												[
													847,
													1495
												],
												[
													847,
													1924
												],
												[
													1562,
													1924
												],
												[
													1562,
													1495
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0da",
											"points": [
												[
													1211,
													1958
												],
												[
													1211,
													2118
												],
												[
													2016,
													2118
												],
												[
													2016,
													1958
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0dc",
											"points": [
												[
													1204,
													2142
												],
												[
													1204,
													2667
												],
												[
													1736,
													2667
												],
												[
													1736,
													2142
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0d9",
											"points": [
												[
													1769,
													2136
												],
												[
													1769,
													2673
												],
												[
													2018,
													2673
												],
												[
													2018,
													2136
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c5",
											"points": [
												[
													960,
													2684
												],
												[
													960,
													2855
												],
												[
													1947,
													2855
												],
												[
													1947,
													2684
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0e1",
											"points": [
												[
													1865,
													3062
												],
												[
													1865,
													3525
												],
												[
													2409,
													3525
												],
												[
													2409,
													3062
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0cf",
											"points": [
												[
													2595,
													1669
												],
												[
													2595,
													2213
												],
												[
													2680,
													2213
												],
												[
													2680,
													1669
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c9",
											"points": [
												[
													2593,
													738
												],
												[
													2593,
													1285
												],
												[
													2955,
													1285
												],
												[
													2955,
													738
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c8",
											"points": [
												[
													2975,
													738
												],
												[
													2975,
													1287
												],
												[
													3795,
													1287
												],
												[
													3795,
													738
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c7",
											"points": [
												[
													3985,
													929
												],
												[
													3985,
													1278
												],
												[
													4436,
													1278
												],
												[
													4436,
													929
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c5",
											"points": [
												[
													3564,
													1307
												],
												[
													3564,
													1462
												],
												[
													4325,
													1462
												],
												[
													4325,
													1307
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0ca",
											"points": [
												[
													2785,
													1496
												],
												[
													2785,
													2302
												],
												[
													3429,
													2302
												],
												[
													3429,
													1496
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0d0",
											"points": [
												[
													2776,
													2325
												],
												[
													2776,
													2673
												],
												[
													3233,
													2673
												],
												[
													3233,
													2325
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c3",
											"points": [
												[
													3625,
													2136
												],
												[
													3625,
													2485
												],
												[
													3967,
													2485
												],
												[
													3967,
													2136
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c1",
											"points": [
												[
													3996,
													1673
												],
												[
													4622,
													1673
												],
												[
													4622,
													2409
												],
												[
													4809,
													2409
												],
												[
													4809,
													2491
												],
												[
													4256,
													2500
												],
												[
													4256,
													2311
												],
												[
													3996,
													2311
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0c5",
											"points": [
												[
													4644,
													2133
												],
												[
													4644,
													2305
												],
												[
													5065,
													2305
												],
												[
													5065,
													2133
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0d3",
											"points": [
												[
													4000,
													2882
												],
												[
													4000,
													3593
												],
												[
													4435,
													3593
												],
												[
													4435,
													2882
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "0d7",
											"points": [
												[
													3062,
													2867
												],
												[
													3062,
													3889
												],
												[
													3224,
													3889
												],
												[
													3224,
													2867
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"hrefThumbnail": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/020-zb6kf-map-1-6-dm.webp"
									}
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/021-8iocy-map-1-6-player.webp"
									},
									"title": "Player Version",
									"width": 6105,
									"height": 4000,
									"imageType": "mapPlayer",
									"grid": {
										"type": "square",
										"size": 93,
										"offsetX": -16,
										"offsetY": -10
									},
									"mapParent": {
										"id": "32d"
									}
								}
							]
						},
						"As the minister responsible for the city's sewer system, Thalamra Vanthampur cordoned off the sewers beneath her villa, creating a private dungeon complex where she could conduct religious ceremonies and harbor guests who share her devotion to the archdevil Zariel.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dungeon Features",
							"page": 37,
							"id": "0bf",
							"entries": [
								"The dungeon is remarkably clean and kept in excellent condition. Its common features are summarized here.",
								"{@b Lit Tunnels}. Tunnels are 9 feet high and have curved ceilings. Oil lanterns fitted with thick panes of green-tinted glass hang at regular intervals on 1-foot-long iron chains. Each lantern sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius.",
								"{@b Iron Doors}. Doors are made of riveted iron plates, with iron handles and well-oiled hinges. Some doors have locks or barred windows set into them, as noted in the text. A character can use {@item thieves' tools|phb} to pick a door's lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, or force open a locked door with a successful DC 24 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
								"{@b Surfaces and Secret Doors}. The dungeon has brick walls and stone-tiled floors. Rooms have 10-foot-high plaster ceilings. Secret doors blend in with the surrounding walls, but a character with {@sense darkvision} or sufficient light can find a secret door with a successful DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check.",
								"{@b Smell of Incense}. Pairs of black-robed human {@creature Cultist||cultists} march through the corridors with censers, constantly perfuming the sewers with incense to counteract what would otherwise be a mildly nauseating stench.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/022-637000757702239303.webp"
									},
									"title": "{@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}",
									"width": 400,
									"height": 727
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dungeon Locations",
							"page": 38,
							"id": "0c0",
							"entries": [
								"Before the characters descend into the dungeon, allow them to advance to 4th level.",
								"The following area descriptions are keyed to {@adventure map 1.6|BGDIA|1|Map 1.6: Under the Villa}.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V20. Cellar",
									"page": 38,
									"id": "0c1",
									"entries": [
										"The characters might enter this cellar by descending the stairs from {@area area V7|0a5|x}, or they might enter through the eastern door. Read the following boxed text to establish what they see from either direction:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0c2",
											"entries": [
												"Four stone pillars brace the ten-foot-high vaulted ceiling of this dry cellar, the walls of which are lined by a dozen barrels on wooden braces. Half the barrels have brass spigots tapped into them. The room also contains two stacks of wooden crates\u2014one in the middle of the room and another by the south wall."
											]
										},
										"The topmost crate in the middle of the room contains three {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} that spy on this area through knotholes in the crate's sides. These devils burst forth and attack intruders on sight. The other crates in the middle of the cellar contain dried meat, loaves of bread, wheels of cheese, and other assorted foodstuffs\u2014enough to sustain the Vanthampurs and the cultists in the dungeon for a month. The crates by the south wall contain candles, oil flasks, incense, and rat traps.",
										"Six of the barrels contain drinking water, and six contain ale."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V21. Wine Cellar",
									"page": 38,
									"id": "0c3",
									"entries": [
										"More than two hundred corked bottles of wine are displayed in seven-foot-tall wooden racks that span the west and south walls. Empty wooden crates are stacked in the middle of the room.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 38,
											"id": "0c4",
											"entries": [
												"Seventeen of the bottles contain fine wine (10 gp per bottle). The remaining wines on display are common vintages (1 sp per bottle)."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V22. Sewer Tunnels",
									"page": 38,
									"id": "0c5",
									"entries": [
										"The dungeon's denizens make frequent use of these lit tunnels. The thick smell of incense hangs in the air (see \"{@area Dungeon Features|0bf|x}\" above).",
										"Smooth stone trenches cut into the floors channel water and waste toward {@area area V30|0d7|x}. These trenches are 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep, with arching stone bridges spanning them at irregular intervals. The ledge on either side of a trench is 3 feet wide.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Wandering Monsters",
											"page": 38,
											"id": "0c6",
											"entries": [
												"Ordinary rats occasionally enter the dungeon through the open pipes in the walls. The cultists lay traps to catch and kill these rats while they perfume the dungeon with incense. As the characters make their way through the tunnels, they might encounter these cultists.",
												"A typical encounter consists of two lawful evil human {@creature Cultist||cultists} dressed in black robes, each carrying a censer and wearing a thin, golden mask shaped like a devil's face (and worth 25 gp to an interested buyer). The censers contain burning incense. A devil mask covers its wearer's whole face except for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. No two masks look exactly alike.",
												"If this encounter occurs in a tunnel that has a sewer trench running down the middle of it, the two cultists are walking on opposite sides of the trench, moving in the same direction while swinging their censers gently. You can make the encounter harder by replacing the cultists with {@creature Cult Fanatic||cult fanatics}, or adding one or more {@condition invisible} {@creature Imp||imps} as escorts.",
												"If any wandering cultists are defeated, reduce the number of cultists encountered in {@area area V33|0db|x} accordingly. If the characters make no effort to hide the bodies of the cultists they defeat, someone stumbles upon them eventually and warns the {@creature barbed devil} in {@area area V26|0ca|x}. Assuming it hasn't been defeated already, the devil scours the dungeon for trespassers once notified of their presence."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V23. Cold Storage",
									"page": 39,
									"id": "0c7",
									"entries": [
										"The Vanthampurs store animal carcasses and other fresh meat in this room. Hanging in the middle of the room from the 10-foot-high ceiling are six 3-foot-long chains, each ending in a hook. Flayed boar carcasses hang from four of the hooks, while the remaining two hooks are bare."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V24. Dining Room",
									"page": 39,
									"id": "0c8",
									"entries": [
										"The cultists dine here, though none are present when the characters first arrive. Two wooden trestle tables with benches stand in the middle of the room, which is brightly lit by six tall wrought-iron candlesticks spaced along the walls. Each candlestick stands six feet high and has nine lit candles at the top of it."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V25. Kitchen",
									"page": 39,
									"id": "0c9",
									"entries": [
										"The cultists prepare their meals here, though no cultists are present when the characters first arrive. The kitchen is uncomfortably warm and contains a pair of brightly burning cast-iron stoves with piles of wood next to them. Other furnishings include a wooden trestle table where food is prepared, as well as shelves lined with plates, mugs, pots, utensils, and jars of ingredients and spices."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V26. Temple of Zariel",
									"page": 39,
									"id": "0ca",
									"entries": [
										"The iron double door leading to this room has Infernal runes carved into its arched door frame. A character who understands Infernal can translate these runes as follows: \"That which falls can rise again.\"",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Disguised Characters",
											"page": 39,
											"id": "0cb",
											"entries": [
												"Characters can disguise themselves using masks and robes taken from defeated cultists. While disguised in this fashion, characters have advantage on Charisma ({@skill Deception}) checks made to fool devils and cult members in the dungeon under Vanthampur Villa."
											]
										},
										"A character who listens at the double door or one of the secret doors leading to this room hears a half dozen humanoid voices chanting in Infernal. Characters who listen to the chants and understand that language can discern praise heaped upon the archdevil Zariel for her tireless effort to win the Blood War.",
										"When the characters enter the room, set the scene by reading aloud the following boxed text:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0cc",
											"entries": [
												"Two rows of tall wrought-iron candlesticks light this vaulted chamber, each one bearing nine flickering candles. A seven-foot-tall statue of an angel with white glowing eyes and a longsword stands atop a dais to the south. A six-foot-tall fiend bristling with spines stands west of the statue, glaring at four black-robed cultists who kneel and chant in the middle of the room, their faces hidden behind golden devil masks. Nine tapestries depicting the layers of the Nine Hells adorn the walls."
											]
										},
										"The spined fiend is a {@creature barbed devil} named Odious. Sent by Zariel to serve Duke Vanthampur, the devil answers only to those two. The chanting figures are four lawful evil human {@creature Cultist||cultists} wearing black robes and golden devil masks similar to those worn by the cultists in {@area area V22|0c5|x}. The devil and the cultists attack intruders on sight, but can be duped by characters wearing disguises (see the \"{@area Disguised Characters|0cb|x}\" sidebar).",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Statue",
											"page": 39,
											"id": "0cd",
											"entries": [
												"The statue represents Zariel in her angelic form. It's a Large object with AC 17, 33 hit points, and immunity to fire, poison, and psychic damage. Toppling the statue with a successful DC 20 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check causes it to shatter on the floor."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 39,
											"id": "0ce",
											"entries": [
												"The statue's head and neck are hollow. Lodged in this cavity is a {@item +1 mace} that can be removed only if the statue is destroyed. The head of the mace sheds bright light in a 5-foot-radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet. The wielder of the mace can extinguish or ignite its light as an action. (This light is what causes the statue's eyes to glow.)"
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V27. Escape Tunnel",
									"page": 39,
									"id": "0cf",
									"entries": [
										"Hidden behind a secret door, this tunnel has a wooden ladder at its north end. The ladder climbs a 15-foot-high shaft to a trapdoor that opens into {@area area V2|09d|x}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V28. Secret Shrine",
									"page": 39,
									"id": "0d0",
									"entries": [
										"This room is hidden behind secret doors (see \"{@area Dungeon Features|0bf|x}\"). The scraping noise either door makes when opened is loud enough to alert the room's occupant. Read the following when the characters enter:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0d1",
											"entries": [
												"This room is lit by a pair of tall wrought-iron candlesticks in the northeast and southeast corners. Nine candles burn atop each one, casting flickering light across a claw-footed altar carved from a single block of obsidian, and which has a small angel-shaped flame erupting from its top. A gray-haired woman kneels before the altar."
											]
										},
										"{@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA} kneels before the altar. She wears fine clothing fit for a noble of her stature and carries no weapons. However, she possesses magical powers bestowed upon her by Zariel, her infernal patron. Any intrusion is greeted with hostility, and the duke is not squeamish about smashing foes with her bare hands if she finds herself in melee. Don't forget her Hellish Rebuke reaction, which she can use twice per day (but only once before her next turn).",
										"If she is reduced to fewer than half her hit points, Thalamra tries to escape through the nearest secret door that isn't blocked. She either moves to {@area area V36|0e1|x} or attempts to flee via {@area area V27|0cf|x}. Proud to a fault, she would rather die than surrender or be taken prisoner\u2014and she happily watches any of her sons die before consenting to ransom demands. When death finally takes her, Thalamra's dying words to her killers are, \"See you in hell.\"",
										"Thalamra keeps two keys in a pocket of her dress. One key unlocks the chest in her bedroom ({@area area V17|0b6|x}); the other key unlocks the door to the vault ({@area area V36|0e1|x}).",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Obsidian Altar",
											"page": 40,
											"id": "0d2",
											"entries": [
												"The black altar weighs 800 pounds and has tiny Infernal runes carved in a ring around the nine-inch-tall, angel-shaped flame erupting from its top. This flame bears only a vague resemblance to Zariel. Defacing any of the altar's runes extinguishes the flame and causes the altar to crack in two."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V29. Prison",
									"page": 40,
									"id": "0d3",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following boxed text when the characters open the door to this room:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0d4",
											"entries": [
												"A broad-shouldered figure with purple skin and a beard of writhing snakelike tentacles stands in the middle of a room lined by iron doors, tightening its grip on a glaive as it glares at you through the darkness. Each door is set with a small barred window, and a ring of keys hangs from the creature's belt."
											]
										},
										"The prison guard is a {@creature bearded devil} named Thoss, which attacks anyone it perceives as an intruder or a threat. Characters disguised as cultists can try to dupe Thoss into allowing them to interrogate or release prisoners (see the \"{@area Disguised Characters|0cb|x}\"). The keys dangling from the devil's belt unlock the cell doors.",
										"Two of the cells (your choice) contain prisoners. The other four cells are empty, though captured characters might end up here (see the \"{@area Imprisoned Characters|0d8|x}\" sidebar). If you need to introduce a new party member to replace one who died, that character can begin the adventure locked in one of the empty cells.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Falaster Fisk",
											"page": 40,
											"id": "0d5",
											"entries": [
												"The first prisoner is a short, lean, erudite male human in his fifties named Falaster Fisk. Originally from Calimshan, Falaster is a neutral {@creature spy} with no weapons. He speaks Common and Infernal, wears an ankle-length caftan, and has dark hair. His neatly trimmed goatee beard is dyed crimson.",
												"Falaster works for {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA}, a tiefling expert on the Nine Hells currently based in Candlekeep. When {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} arrived in Baldur's Gate a few days ago, it didn't take Falaster long to hear rumors that the Vanthampurs were sheltering him. Falaster tried to find out why and was caught. He can provide his rescuers with the following useful information:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"\"{@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA} is a sage who operates out of Candlekeep. A good friend of mine! She's been monitoring devil activity in Baldur's Gate and Elturel for months.\"",
														"\"Sylvira is convinced that {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} struck a bargain with an archdevil, and that a copy of the contract he signed is hidden inside a magic puzzle box. She asked me to help her obtain proof of Kreeg's crimes.\"",
														"\"Sylvira is no friend of {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s. She thinks she can open his puzzle box, and is willing to pay for it\u2014in gold or magic items.\""
													]
												},
												"If released, Falaster helps the characters as best he can while staying out of harm's way. Expecting that he might be caught, he obtained and memorized a floor plan of the dungeon under Vanthampur Villa. He can thus lead his rescuers to secret rooms ({@area areas V28|0d0|x} and {@area V34|0dc|x}) and the Vanthampurs' vault ({@area area V36|0e1|x})."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Satiir Thione-Hhune",
											"page": 40,
											"id": "0d6",
											"entries": [
												"The second prisoner is a fit, aristocratic human woman in her seventies named Lady Satiir Thione-Hhune. Born into the rich and politically powerful Hhune patriar family, Satiir is a neutral evil {@creature noble} with no weapons or armor (AC 11). She was kidnapped by the Vanthampurs to be used as leverage in the event that the Hhunes find out who stole the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} from their family's crypt.",
												"Unknown to the Vanthampurs, Satiir is a member of a secret evil order whose members call themselves the Knights of the Shield, and who are the self-appointed guardians of the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}. Satiir doesn't speak of the shield. Instead, she tells her rescuers that the Vanthampurs were planning to use her to keep the Hhunes from opposing Duke Vanthampur's bid to become the new grand duke. If Satiir is allowed to escape, she informs her family and associates that the Vanthampurs stole the shield, destroying Duke Vanthampur's political future in Baldur's Gate. The characters might encounter more of Satiir's friends on the way to Candlekeep (see \"{@area Knights of the Shield|0ed|x}\")."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V30. Barrier of Iron Bars",
									"page": 40,
									"id": "0d7",
									"entries": [
										"This sewer tunnel slopes down gradually toward the south, channeling water and sewage into the city's sewer system. The tunnel is blocked by a 10-foot-square barrier composed of vertical iron bars with 6-inch gaps between them\u2014enough room for a rat to saunter through, but too narrow for normal-sized characters to squeeze through. The bars are embedded deep into the stone of the floor and ceiling.",
										"A character can bend the bars with a successful DC 25 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check, creating a gap wide enough for a Medium or smaller humanoid to squeeze through.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Imprisoned Characters",
											"page": 40,
											"id": "0d8",
											"entries": [
												"If the characters are defeated in Vanthampur Villa or the dungeon below, you can have the bad guys stabilize dying party members, strip them of their gear (which is stored in {@area area V28|0d0|x}), and lock them in the prison ({@area area V29|0d3|x}). This alternative to a \"total party kill\" scenario affords {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA} and her cultists the opportunity to interrogate the characters and find out what they know. It also sets up the possibility of a prison break."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V31. Vestry",
									"page": 41,
									"id": "0d9",
									"entries": [
										"Four wooden wardrobes stand against the walls in this area. The cultists store their robes and masks in these wardrobes before leaving the dungeon and returning to the city above. The wardrobes along the west wall stand empty. Characters who search the wardrobe on the south wall find four sets of black robes and four gold devil masks, as worn by the cultists encountered elsewhere in the dungeon."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V32. Connecting Tunnel",
									"page": 41,
									"id": "0da",
									"entries": [
										"The dim light from two of the cultists' green-glass lanterns doesn't reach the ends of this corridor, creating pools of darkness there. Two lawful evil human {@creature Cult Fanatic||cult fanatics} guard the tunnel, one at each end. Characters with {@sense darkvision} or their own light sources spot the fanatics. Otherwise, the fanatics surprise the characters. Each fanatic wears a black robe and a thin gold devil mask similar to those worn by cultists in other areas.",
										"Sounds of combat here alert the cultists in area V33, who arm themselves but stay where they are."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V33. Cultists' Quarters",
									"page": 41,
									"id": "0db",
									"entries": [
										"This room is lit by two tall wrought-iron candlesticks each topped with nine flickering candles. Around the room's perimeter are ten wooden bunk beds, next to which are unlocked footlockers containing ordinary clothes belonging to the cultists.",
										"Ten {@creature Cultist||cultists} gather here, minus any cultists defeated in {@area area V22|0c5|x}. These cult members are lawful evil humans wearing black robes and thin gold devil masks. Some have dozed off, while others are sitting on their beds, sharing rumors regarding {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s hand in the fall of Elturel and Duke Vanthampur's plans for Baldur's Gate. These cultists show intruders no quarter.",
										"Sounds of combat here alert the cult fanatics in {@area area V32|0da|x}, who investigate immediately."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V34. Ritual Chamber",
									"page": 41,
									"id": "0dc",
									"entries": [
										"This room is hidden behind secret doors (see \"{@area Dungeon Features|0bf|x}\"), and its features are as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0dd",
											"entries": [
												"This ten-foot-high vaulted chamber has a plaster ceiling painted with images of terrifying winged devils looking down on a symbol embedded in the room's floor: a circular disk of black stone inscribed with a nine-pointed gold star. Four wrought-iron candlesticks bristling with unlit, half-melted red candles surround the circle."
											]
										},
										"The cultists use this chamber to perform diabolical rituals that duplicate the effect of a {@spell divination} spell, except that the spell's contact is a devil that manifests as a pillar of smoke above the symbol on the floor. The images on the ceiling are pit fiends, recognizable by any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Religion}) check."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V35. Thavius Kreeg's Quarters",
									"page": 41,
									"id": "0de",
									"entries": [
										"Describe this room to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0df",
											"entries": [
												"Wrought-iron candlesticks topped with flickering candles light this room, which is heated by a cast-iron stove with clawed feet. Across from the crackling stove is a modest desk with a matching chair. Other furnishings include a small table and chair for dining, a bed, an iron chest resting at the foot of the bed, and two tapestries: one showing spirits rising as lemure devils from the River Styx, and another depicting a dead man dangling like a marionette from hooked chains."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 41,
											"id": "0e0",
											"entries": [
												"Thavius keeps a holy symbol of Torm (a silver pendant shaped like a right-handed gauntlet on the end of a silver chain) in the chest. The holy symbol is worth 25 gp. The chest contains nothing else."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "V36. Vanthampur Vault",
									"page": 41,
									"id": "0e1",
									"entries": [
										"The door to this room is locked (see \"{@area Dungeon Features|0bf|x}\"), and Duke Vanthampur has the only key. The door can be unlocked from the inside without the key. When the characters open the door to the vault, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to set the scene:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0e2",
											"entries": [
												"This room contains four wooden tables with two small wooden coffers atop each one. Hanging on the wall opposite the door is a beautiful golden shield. Standing in front of the shield is an old man in plain garments, carrying a lit candlestick. As he turns to face the door, you see that his shadow on the far wall doesn't match his form, but appears to be the shadow of a pudgy, horned fiend with small wings."
											]
										},
										"The man is {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, the former high overseer of Elturel. Formerly a priest of Torm (god of courage and self-sacrifice), he lost his spellcasting ability when he abandoned his faith and now only pretends to worship that deity. The shield hanging on the wall behind him is the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}, which is depicted and described in {@adventure Appendix C|BGDIA|12}. Thavius has been speaking to Gargauth, the fiend imprisoned in the shield, and has concluded that the shield is responsible for much of the rampant avarice and malice in Baldur's Gate. Given time, Thavius thinks he can use the shield to drag Baldur's Gate down into Avernus.",
										"Thavius craves power and the appreciation of his hellish masters. However, he abhors violence and avoids combat whenever possible. He sheds crocodile tears for Elturel, claiming that he was visiting a parish a few miles outside the city when it disappeared, and expressing horror in response to the city's fall. Neither story holds up under scrutiny.",
										"Thavius also lies about his relationship with Duke Vanthampur. He claims the duke's guards captured him shortly after his arrival in Baldur's Gate, and that the duke needs his help to ascertain the magical properties of the celestial shield, which her family \"acquired\" from a crypt under the city. Despite being a practiced liar, Thavius has no lie to explain his diabolical shadow.",
										"If she's with the party, Reya Mantlemorn is awestruck in the presence of the high overseer, and won't allow the characters to harm Thavius as long as she believes he's innocent of wrongdoing. His altered shadow is not damning enough evidence. Convincing Reya that Thavius is corrupt can be accomplished by forcing a confession out of him with a successful DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Intimidation}) check, or by proving that he has lost his spellcasting abilities. If the characters kill Thavius, they can encounter him again in {@area chapter 3|2b8|x}, after his soul is turned into a devil.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Shield of the Hidden Lord",
											"page": 42,
											"id": "0e3",
											"entries": [
												"The devil Gargauth is bound into the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} and wants to escape from it. The fiend believes it can break out once the shield is taken to the Nine Hells\u2014and it needs the characters' help to get there.",
												"Gargauth senses the presence of the characters when they enter the room and telepathically contacts one of them at random. Referring to itself as the Hidden Lord, the devil claims to be a celestial being and vows to help the characters rescue Elturel, provided they take the shield with them into the Nine Hells. The Hidden Lord also warns that a secret society is after the shield, and that it's only a matter of time before its evil members find it. Gargauth claims that this secret society doesn't want the shield's powers to be used for good, which is the truth.",
												"Duke Vanthampur and {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} have promised to help Gargauth break out of the shield, provided the fiend spreads corruption throughout the city by uniting the patriars behind the duke\u2014and, by extension, behind the archdevil Zariel. Only then can Baldur's Gate suffer the same fate as Elturel. However, Gargauth is happy to take advantage of a more expedient means of returning to the Nine Hells if the characters offer it one. The Hidden Lord has no loyalty to anyone but itself."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 42,
											"id": "0e4",
											"entries": [
												"The eight coffers are unlocked and contain money belonging to the Vanthampur family, as well as treasure stolen from Tiamat's hoard on Avernus. Duke Vanthampur plans to use this combined treasure to bribe the city's patriars and government officials into supporting her bid to become the new grand duke.",
												"Coffer 1 contains 30 electrum ingots (10 gp each) belonging to the Vanthampur family.",
												"Coffers 2, 3, and 4 each contain 100 gp belonging to the Vanthampur family.",
												"Coffer 5 contains two pieces of a broken ceremonial dagger stolen from Tiamat's hoard: a curved ivory blade bearing Draconic runes that spell out \"Fang,\" along with a bone hilt wrapped in leather strips and studded with gemstones. A {@spell mending} cantrip can make the nonmagical dagger whole again, restoring its value (250 gp).",
												"Coffers 6 and 7 each contain 100 pp belonging to the Vanthampur family.",
												"Coffer 8 contains twenty azurite gemstones (10 gp each) stolen from Tiamat's hoard."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Final Encounters in Baldur's Gate",
					"page": 42,
					"id": "0e5",
					"entries": [
						"If the characters fail to locate {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA} (see {@area area V13|0af|x}) or the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} (see {@area area V36|0e1|x}), an NPC such as Reya Mantlemorn or Falaster Fisk recommends a more thorough search of the Vanthampur estate. As a Hellrider, Reya might be able to sense the presence of the celestial shield and urge the characters to retrieve it, lest it fall into evil hands. Similarly, Falaster loathes to leave the puzzle box behind for someone else to snatch up.",
						"If Slobberchops the {@creature tressym|BGDIA} (see {@area area V5|0a3|x}) is with the party, it can lead characters to the puzzle box. Captured villains can also lead characters to the puzzle box or the shield, as needed. Once these items are found, Falaster strongly urges the characters to deliver them to {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA} at Candlekeep.",
						"If invited to join the characters on their journey to Candlekeep, Reya and Falaster readily accept. Falaster has a modest dwelling in Little Calimshan, a walled neighborhood in the Outer City, and suggests making a brief stop there so he can equip himself with weapons before continuing the journey to Candlekeep.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Reporting to Captain Zodge",
							"page": 42,
							"id": "0e6",
							"entries": [
								"Once the characters wipe out the Vanthampur family and its devil-worshiping cult, they can return to Captain Zodge to deliver their report, surrender their Flaming Fist badges, and receive any payment owed to them.",
								"Zodge is gratified to learn that the Vanthampurs are no longer his concern. If the characters report that one or more family members are still alive, Zodge promises to hunt them down and punish them for their crimes."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Commander Portyr",
							"page": 42,
							"id": "0e7",
							"entries": [
								"As the characters conclude their business with Captain Zodge, the meeting is interrupted by the arrival of a higher-ranking member of the Flaming Fist. Read or paraphrase the following text to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0e8",
									"entries": [
										"Your meeting with Captain Zodge is interrupted by the arrival of several Flaming Fist soldiers clad in plate armor. From behind this wall of swords and steel steps an armored woman with a white cloak and graying hair.",
										"\"Are these the maniacs who've stirred up every nest of rats in this gods-forsaken city?\"",
										"\"Commander Portyr!\" says Zodge. \"I was told you wouldn't be in Baldur's Gate for at least another tenday.\"",
										"\"That's what the city's government wanted you to think, captain,\" she replies. Turning to you, she says, \"I trust you've been adequately compensated?\""
									]
								},
								"Until recently, {@creature Liara Portyr|ToA} commanded a Flaming Fist outpost called Fort Beluarian on the distant tropical peninsula of Chult. Her uncle is Duke Dillard Portyr of Baldur's Gate, one of the city's two remaining government leaders (assuming Duke Vanthampur did not survive). Duke Portyr summoned his niece to take command of the Flaming Fist in Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}'s absence. Her trip home was expedited by magic.",
								"Liara aims to assert herself as {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}'s natural successor but clings to the hope that he's still alive. If the characters think they have any chance to rescue Elturel\u2014and Ravengard along with it\u2014Liara strongly urges them to pursue that quest. Her experiences in Chult have taught her to respect adventurers and their ability to get things done.",
								"If the characters didn't find Falaster Fisk in the dungeon under Vanthampur Villa, Liara Portyr can be the one who urges them to travel to Candlekeep and seek out {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA}, a renowned expert on the Nine Hells. Sylvira can help them unlock the {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA} and the mysteries of the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}.",
								"After making sure the characters receive their promised reward, Liara thanks them for doing their part to help Baldur's Gate. Although she must focus her efforts on various threats to the city's security, she makes it possible for the characters to leave Baldur's Gate when they're ready, going as far as to secure a riding horse or pony for each party member to expedite their journey to Candlekeep. She can also provide a mule-drawn cart laden with food, drink, and other supplies.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/023-636988751903431559.webp"
									},
									"title": "{@creature Liara Portyr|ToA}",
									"width": 400,
									"height": 527
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Journey to Candlekeep",
					"page": 43,
					"id": "0e9",
					"entries": [
						"When the characters are ready to leave for Candlekeep, read the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "0ea",
							"entries": [
								"As the Basilisk Gate opens, Flaming Fist soldiers hold back the tide of Elturgardian refugees. You cut a path through these wretched souls, whose wails intensify as the Basilisk Gate closes behind you. The dirt road cuts through the slums of the Outer City, past the walled neighborhood of Little Calimshan, to the great span of Wyrm's Crossing."
							]
						},
						"If Falaster Fisk is with the party, he leads them to his residence in Little Calimshan. In addition to grabbing weapons, he also brings along an old book of Calishite recipes to trade for admittance into the great library of Candlekeep (see \"{@area Entering Candlekeep|0f5|x}\").",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Wyrm's Crossing",
							"page": 44,
							"id": "0eb",
							"entries": [
								"The characters must cross this landmark to reach the Coast Way, which heads south to Candlekeep. Read the following to describe the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0ec",
									"entries": [
										"Two great bridges meet at a tall, rocky island that rises from the middle of the Chionthar River. Buildings and merchant stalls line the sides of both bridges, making it impossible to see the river from the narrow, congested roadway that cuts between those structures.",
										"Wooden drawbridges connect the two bridges to a keep situated atop the island. The flags of Baldur's Gate and the Flaming Fist wave proudly above this fortress."
									]
								},
								"Wyrm's Crossing is a cutpurse's paradise, and every traveler here runs the risk of being pickpocketed. As the characters make their way from one end of Wyrm's Crossing to the other, have each player roll a {@dice d20}. (Don't roll for NPCs traveling with the party.) The character or characters with the lowest roll are targeted by a pickpocket (use the {@creature bandit} stat block).",
								"Use a character's passive Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) score to determine whether a theft made against that character is successful. If the character's score is 11 or higher, the theft is detected and thwarted. Otherwise, the thief makes off with one item weighing 1 pound or less (such as a coin pouch or potion) and disappears into the crowd before the theft is noticed. If a character is robbed, ask the player what small items the character is carrying, then decide which of those items was stolen."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Knights of the Shield",
							"page": 44,
							"id": "0ed",
							"entries": [
								"The following encounter occurs only if the characters have the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}. Otherwise, skip ahead to the \"Tale of the Hellriders\" section. Read the following to set the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0ee",
									"entries": [
										"As Wyrm's Crossing and Baldur's Gate disappear from view, you find yourselves heading down the Coast Way, a dirt road that leads to such distant lands as Tethyr, Amn, and Calimshan. Candlekeep lies some one hundred and fifty miles south and west\u2014a five-day journey.",
										"Coming up the road toward you is a human farmer riding on the front of a hay-filled wagon pulled by two draft horses. The farmer gives you a friendly wave as the wagon draws near."
									]
								},
								"The farmer is Kaddrus, a lawful evil {@creature cambion} using the {@spell alter self} spell to conceal his true form. Hiding under the hay are the cambion's evil accomplices: three human {@creature Veteran||veterans} who speak Common and Infernal. Their names are Falar and Zaroud al'Ryshal, and Nulra Blacksaddle. When the cambion gives the order in Infernal, the veterans leap out of the hay and attack. Meanwhile, the cambion assumes his true form, flies up into the air, and targets creatures with his Fire Ray attack. The two {@creature Draft Horse||draft horses} are ordinary beasts but don't spook easily.",
								"Kaddrus and the veterans are members of a secret society known as the Knights of the Shield (see {@area area V29|0d3|x}). Their goals are to kill the characters and take the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} back to the Hhune patriar family in Baldur's Gate. If the veterans are killed or {@condition incapacitated}, Kaddrus flies back to Baldur's Gate to report to his superiors. If the cambion escapes, the characters might encounter him again in Candlekeep, in the guise of a monk. The next time he encounters the party, Kaddrus fights to the death to claim the shield."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Tale of the Hellriders",
							"page": 44,
							"id": "0ef",
							"entries": [
								"If Reya Mantlemorn is with the characters, she shares the following tale over a campfire at some point during the characters' five-day journey to Candlekeep:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0f0",
									"entries": [
										"\"It was over a century past that the great troubles began. Fiends roamed the lands to the north and west of Elturel. Fields were despoiled, livestock slaughtered, homes razed, and people dragged off to a terrible and unknowable fate. Terror gripped the hearts of all.",
										"\"The city's cavalry rode across the land, striking down fiends wherever they found them and suffering fearful losses. But it was never enough. For every fiend they destroyed, it seemed as though two more appeared elsewhere. The ruler of Elturel, the High Rider, asked his people to pray to the gods for aid. To everyone's astonishment, a mighty angel entered the city the next day. Her name was Zariel, which means Companion of Light. The prayers of Elturel had been heard, and help had come.",
										"\"Zariel located the gate through which the fiends were entering the natural world, on the Fields of the Dead west of the city. Zariel declared that she would lead the cavalry into Avernus, destroying the infernal host that was amassing there, and striking a great blow against the forces of darkness.",
										"\"The High Rider sent out the riders of Elturel, now numbering many thousands, with Zariel at their head, riding a golden mastodon. With a great cry, Zariel and her army charged through the gate. The legions of Avernus trembled and buckled, but did not crumble. Zariel was defeated, and the remnants of her army returned to Elturel, overcome with grief at the loss of their glorious general but confident that the lords of the Nine Hells would think twice about threatening Elturel again.",
										"\"There were great celebrations to honor the valiant knights of the cavalry, who became known as Hellriders from that day on.\" "
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/024-why5x-01-05.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 655
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Candlekeep",
					"page": 45,
					"id": "0f1",
					"entries": [
						"Candlekeep is a fortress perched on a spur of rock overlooking the Sea of Swords. It is reached by a single road, the Way of the Lion, which branches west off the Coast Way.",
						"Candlekeep is always open to visitors and boasts one of the finest libraries in Faerûn. The monks of Candlekeep also preserve the predictions of Alaundo the Seer, a singular sage whose prophecies have proved correct over long years. Upon the seer's death, Candlekeep became a haven for both the veneration of his prophecies and the accumulation of all knowledge. If there's a secret to be learned, the clues to finding it can probably be found in Candlekeep.",
						"The encounters in Candlekeep focus on social interaction and exploration. The following events unfold here:",
						{
							"type": "list",
							"items": [
								"The characters arrive at Candlekeep, where the price of admittance is a book\u2014specifically one not already contained in the monks' library.",
								"The characters meet with {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA}, a tiefling sage who knows the secret to unlocking {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA}.",
								"Sylvira advises the characters to leave the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} in her custody, but Gargauth makes a good case for taking the shield with them.",
								"Sylvira makes arrangements to send the characters to Elturel, and gives them an unreliable map of Avernus. Reya Mantlemorn offers to go with the characters, while Falaster Fisk chooses to stay behind."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Way of the Lion",
							"page": 45,
							"id": "0f2",
							"entries": [
								"Read the following boxed text to describe the characters' final day of travel to Candlekeep:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0f3",
									"entries": [
										"Over the past four days, the weather on the Coast Way has gradually worsened. Dark clouds release heavy rain until the road runs thick with mud, yet you trudge on, passing by friendly merchant caravans heading north.",
										"On the morning of the fifth day, the rain subsides but the dark clouds remain. Ahead, you see a path branch from the wider road, heading to the sea. A raven perches solemnly on a leaning post bearing two signs that point like arms toward the west. One says \"The Way of the Lion.\" The other says \"Candlekeep.\""
									]
								},
								"Characters who head west along the Way of the Lion arrive at Candlekeep by mid-afternoon. You can show the players the illustration of Candlekeep, and can describe the view to them by reading the following:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0f4",
									"entries": [
										"The afternoon sun shines through the clouds to illuminate the gray walls and pale spires of a timeworn fortress that stands majestically atop a rocky promontory overlooking the sea. The trail leads straight to it."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Entering Candlekeep",
							"page": 46,
							"id": "0f5",
							"entries": [
								"Although some visitors travel to Candlekeep by air, most arrive on foot or on horseback. When the characters arrive at the gatehouse, read the following boxed text to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0f6",
									"entries": [
										"At the gatehouse, you are greeted by three monks in purple robes: a human, a shield dwarf, and a sun elf. Around their necks hang holy symbols of Deneir, god of writing, whose symbol is a lit candle above an open eye.",
										"\"Welcome to Candlekeep,\" says the elf in Common. \"A gift is required from those seeking admittance. You must donate a book or scroll that isn't already in the library's archives. Please present your gift for inspection.\""
									]
								},
								"All three monks are neutral good {@creature Priest||priests} of Deneir. (Apply racial traits to their statistics as needed.) The monks study any book or scroll that's handed to them, the holy symbols around their necks glowing faintly as they do.",
								"The monks are happy to accept either {@i Apocalypto} (the black-covered tome found in Vanthampur Villa; see {@area area V13|0af|x}), Falaster Fisk's book of Calishite recipes, or a spellbook for admittance to Candlekeep. One such gift is enough for the whole party to be able to enter the library. If a character wants to offer up some other book or scroll, you decide whether the monks accept it as a gift.",
								"If the characters try to sneak or force their way into Candlekeep, the fortress's defenses are brought to bear as described in the \"{@area Candlekeep Defenses|0fb|x}\" sidebar.",
								"Once allowed inside, the characters are free to go where they please and stay as long as they wish. The outermost buildings include private dormitories for the monks and public quarters for visitors, as well as amenities one would expect to find in a self-sufficient settlement (bathhouses, clothiers, granaries, gardens, and so forth). Candlekeep even has a pub called the Hearth.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Hearth",
									"page": 46,
									"id": "0f7",
									"entries": [
										"In Candlekeep's pub, guests and monks can enjoy each other's company and a good meal. Read the following boxed text to describe the Hearth:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0f8",
											"entries": [
												"The pub has a low ceiling supported by massive wooden crossbeams and narrow, shuttered windows. A large fire pit in the middle of the room is surrounded by a half dozen tables and matching benches."
											]
										},
										"Thirty people can dine here comfortably at any time. The Hearth is always open, and the fire is never permitted to go out. A dozen patrons typically occupy the pub during the day, with more during lunch and supper.",
										"When the characters first show up, one patron stands out among the rest: a chaotic good {@creature ogre} wearing a {@item headband of intellect}. He sits by himself in a corner, reading a book titled {@i The Sum of Theology} by Saint Vetheera, a servant of Oghma (god of knowledge).",
										"A few years ago, the ogre was like others of his kind\u2014brutish and cruel. He met a halfling adventurer wearing the shiny gold headband and killed the puny runt for it. When the ogre attuned to it, the headband grew in size, allowing him to don it. As a genius, the ogre felt compelled to learn the error of his ways and seek out a better life. He adopted the name Little One, to honor the poor halfling whose life he cut short.",
										"Shunned by polite society, Little One came to Candlekeep hoping to learn as much as he can. He's a quiet but popular fixture in the fortress, and the monks are always saying hello to him and recommending new books for him to read."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Sylvira Savikas",
							"page": 46,
							"id": "0f9",
							"entries": [
								"When the characters are ready, they can make their way toward the main keep, a towering edifice housing hundreds of monks and wizards, and thousands of books and scrolls. As they meander through the keep, helpful monks stop to offer them directions. If Falaster Fisk is with the party, he already knows the way to Sylvira's laboratory, located in one of Candlekeep's spires. When the characters arrive there, read the following:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "0fa",
									"entries": [
										"The walls of this circular tower chamber are punctuated by arched windows that are currently shuttered. Bookcases filled with eldritch volumes stand between the windows, while tables are crowded with specimen jars, alchemical equipment, and other clutter. Engraved into the floor of the chamber is a large, nine-pointed star.",
										"A middle-aged tiefling dressed in wizardly robes stands by one of the windows, caught in a fugue of intense contemplation. Perched on the corner of a table nearby is a spindly little demon with warty green skin, buggy eyes, thin black horns, and a whip-like tail.",
										"\"I can't tell you how pleased I am to see you,\" says the tiefling. \"What have you brought me?\""
									]
								},
								"{@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA}, a lawful neutral tiefling {@creature archmage}, is one of Candlekeep's foremost sages, and specializes in knowledge pertaining to the Outer Planes. In addition to her other skills, she has {@skill Investigation} +13. She speaks Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, and Primordial. Her {@creature quasit} familiar, Jezebel, adds just the right amount of mischief and chaos to her life. In the unlikely event that Sylvira becomes embroiled in combat, remember that tieflings have resistance to fire damage and {@sense darkvision} out to a range of 60 feet.",
								"If the characters don't have {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s puzzle box with them, Sylvira is disappointed but tries not to show it. If they present the box to her, she snatches it out of their hands and studies it closely. She takes similar interest in the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} (which she calls \"the Shield of Gargauth\"), but avoids touching it.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Candlekeep Defenses",
									"page": 46,
									"id": "0fb",
									"entries": [
										"Attacking Candlekeep would be foolhardy. Although most of the monks are simple scholars, a few are powerful spellcasters. If any trouble occurs, an {@creature archmage} and {@dice 1d4} {@creature Mage||mages} investigate immediately. If they can't bring the situation under control in short order, an additional {@dice 1d4} {@creature Archmage||archmages} arrive to lend assistance."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Thavius and the Puzzle Box",
									"page": 47,
									"id": "0fc",
									"entries": [
										"Sylvira has this to say about {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} and his {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA}:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0fd",
											"entries": [
												"\"I've been suspicious of the High Overseer of Elturel for a long time. But no one wanted to hear my concerns, because {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} was widely regarded as a hero who saved his city from an undead scourge, giving rise to the holy nation of Elturgard.",
												"\"Hailed as a savior, Thavius made all citizens of Elturel swear an oath called the Creed Resolute, which binds them to defend the nation of Elturgard. I met him years ago, and my instincts told me he was a charlatan. Afterward, I grew to suspect that he had cut a deal with one or more powerful devils, using the Creed Resolute to bind all Elturel to his dark deal.",
												"\"I wish to prove my theory, and I believe the evidence is locked inside the puzzle box.\""
											]
										},
										"Sylvira is an expert on magic puzzle boxes, having made and sold a few herself. If the characters give her the {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA}, she examines it, asks Jezebel to fetch her a flask of dark liquid, and pours a small amount into the mazelike troughs carved into the box's surface. She then tips the box so that the liquid flows in certain directions through the mazelike patterns\u2014until the box's horn inlays pop loose and it breaks apart.",
										"Inside the box is a stack of nine chain-linked plates, each three inches on a side, cast of dark iron, and stamped with Infernal runes. Anyone who understands Infernal can translate the runes as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "0fe",
											"entries": [
												"Be it known to all that I, {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, High Overseer of Elturel, have sworn to my master, Zariel, lord of Avernus, to keep the agreements contained in this oath.",
												"I hereby submit to Zariel in all matters and for all time. I will place Her above all creatures, living and dead. I will obey Her all my days and beyond with fear and servility.",
												"I recognize the dispensation of the device called the Solar Insidiator, hereafter called the Companion. In my capacity as High Overseer of Elturel and its vassal territories, I acknowledge that all lands falling under the light of the Companion are forfeit to Zariel. All persons bound by oath to defend Elturel are also considered forfeit. I further recognize that this dispensation will last fifty years, after which the Companion will return whence it came, taking Elturel and its oath-bound defenders with it, if that is Zariel's wish.",
												"All this is my everlasting pledge."
											]
										},
										"If Reya Mantlemorn is with the party, she is so stung by the revelation that she collapses onto the floor and weeps for Elturel. Bound to the city by the Creed Resolute, she feels the imperative to return to it. \"If Zariel wants my soul,\" says Reya, \"she's welcome to try to take it.\""
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Gargauth and the Shield",
									"page": 47,
									"id": "0ff",
									"entries": [
										"Sylvira has this to say about the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} and the devil imprisoned within it:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "100",
											"entries": [
												"\"This shield is a symbol of good's triumph over evil. Gazing at such beauty, one can easily overlook the terrible force bound within it. Gargauth is, I believe, its name, though it calls itself the Hidden Lord. It was a pit fiend sent by Asmodeus to corrupt mortals on the Material Plane, and there it amassed such a following as to rival that of gods. In that way, Gargauth became a sort of demigod, and having worshipers increased its power exponentially. My, how the mighty have fallen!",
												"\"This shield has the power to corrupt everything around it. The Hhune family of Baldur's Gate has kept it for years now. Doubtless they'll want it back, but this shield should not be taken to any place where thousands of mortals reside. It needs to be locked away in an extradimensional space, away from corruptible souls.\""
											]
										},
										"If the characters consider leaving the shield with Sylvira, Gargauth telepathically contacts the character with the most influence in the party and suggests an alternative course of action:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "101",
											"entries": [
												"\"Take me to the Nine Hells, and I'll swear to serve you faithfully as both a guide and an advisor.\""
											]
										},
										"Gargauth's offer is genuine, for the fiend desperately wants the shield taken to the Nine Hells. It believes (incorrectly) that it will be able to escape the shield there. Sylvira leaves it to the characters to decide what to do with the shield. A small part of her is relieved if the characters decide to take it with them, as she knows the evil Knights of the Shield will never stop looking for it."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Poster Map of Avernus",
									"page": 47,
									"id": "102",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters intend to save Elturel, Sylvira can provide them with a map of Avernus\u2014the only such map known to exist in Candlekeep. Unfold the poster map of Avernus at this time and let the players study it. Sylvira then gives the characters a word of caution:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "103",
											"entries": [
												"\"This map might not be entirely reliable,\" warns Sylvira. \"Its creator went mad making it.\""
											]
										},
										"More information about how to use the poster map can be found in {@area chapter 3|1b0|x}.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/025-a1ei6-01-07.webp"
											},
											"title": "The contents of {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s mysterious puzzle box are revealed.",
											"width": 5025,
											"height": 3338
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Getting to Avernus",
					"page": 50,
					"id": "104",
					"entries": [
						"Although Sylvira can prepare the {@spell plane shift} spell, there's no point, as magical wards placed on Candlekeep prevent creatures from using such means to go to or from the library. Instead, she presents an alternative plan for sending the characters to the Nine Hells:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "105",
							"entries": [
								"\"A wizard named {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} lives in a tower twenty miles from here. I've loaned him a spellbook or two, so he owes me a favor. I can have you delivered safely to his tower, and he can use a {@spell plane shift} spell to take you straight to Elturel. Even more importantly, {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} is looking after an old friend of mine\u2014someone with a history of battling devils in the Nine Hells. I think you'll enjoy her company very much. Her name is {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}.\""
							]
						},
						"Characters need not leave for {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}'s tower at once. If they wish to remain in Candlekeep for a while, Sylvira is happy to accommodate them. However, Reya Mantlemorn becomes more impatient the longer they stay. Falaster Fisk parts company with the characters at this time, choosing to remain at Candlekeep for a few days before returning to Baldur's Gate.",
						"Characters can use Candlekeep's library to learn more about the Nine Hells. {@book Chapter 2|DMG|2|The Nine Hells} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} contains lore on all nine layers, which the characters can learn once they've spent a day or two researching the plane. Characters can also research devils to learn everything that's said about them in the \"Devils\" entry of the {@book Monster Manual|MM}.",
						"Once they're ready to leave for {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}'s tower, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "106",
							"entries": [
								"Sylvira ushers you to a crescent-shaped landing platform with a stunning view of the sea. Waiting for you atop this platform are several griffons with saddles, their handlers standing nearby to help you. \"The griffons have instructions to fly you to {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}'s tower,\" says Sylvira. \"Don't worry, it's safe!\""
							]
						},
						"The handlers standing ready can help the characters mount the {@creature Griffon||griffons}. Each griffon can carry one rider plus gear. Once all the characters are mounted, read:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "107",
							"entries": [
								"The griffons take flight and head out to sea, flying just below the clouds. Candlekeep looks no less majestic from the air but grows smaller as the griffons soar westward. Large, rocky islands pass below you, and beyond them lies the open sea. After a long journey, you see a windowless, doorless stone tower\u2014which somehow floats in the sky ahead. The griffons pass through jagged holes riddling the tower's conical peak to land on the top floor below, which has a spiral staircase leading down."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Traxigor's Tower",
							"page": 50,
							"id": "108",
							"entries": [
								"Once the griffons land, characters are free to dismount and descend the stairs into {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}'s tower. After delivering the party safely to the tower, the griffons take a short rest before flying back to Candlekeep.",
								"Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players when the characters descend into the tower:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "109",
									"entries": [
										"One level down, you see a cluttered chamber illuminated by various objects upon which {@spell continual flame} spells have been cast. Scurrying around the room is an otter dressed in a tiny red cassock. The otter mumbles to itself in Common, mentioning something about a tuning fork. Suddenly, it takes notice of you and stands upright. \"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA}! Wake up! Our guests have arrived!\"",
										"At the sound of her name, a small elephant with golden fur appears from under a pile of blankets near a table strewn with alchemical equipment. The elephant takes to the air on feathery wings and lets out a pleasing trumpet sound."
									]
								},
								"{@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} was polymorphed into an otter years ago, and decided he preferred the new form to his original one (that of a wizened old man). His otter form was made permanent by a {@spell wish} spell. He uses the {@creature archmage} stat block, but is a Tiny beast with a Strength of 3. His alignment is chaotic good, and he speaks Common, Draconic, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Halfling, and Troglodyte. He has the {@spell plane shift} spell prepared instead of {@spell teleport}, and is searching for the tuning fork he needs to cast the spell. What little he knows about the characters has been communicated to him by {@spell sending} spells, sent by {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA} in advance of their arrival.",
								"Characters can help {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} search for his missing tuning fork, which is keyed to the Nine Hells. Whoever rolls the highest on a Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check finds the tuning fork. Whoever rolls the lowest finds a random trinket, determined by rolling on the {@item Trinket|PHB|Trinkets table} in chapter 5 of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}. {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} doesn't care if the character keeps the trinket or not, and doesn't remember how or when he acquired it."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Lulu the Hollyphant",
							"page": 50,
							"id": "10a",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is a {@creature hollyphant|BGDIA} (see {@adventure Appendix C|BGDIA|13} for her stat block) who has lost most of her memories, as well as her Innate Spellcasting trait. (This has no effect on her challenge rating.) She regains her Innate Spellcasting trait gradually over the course of the adventure, as follows:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"In {@adventure chapter 2|BGDIA|2}, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} regains the at-will ability to cast {@spell light} when she arrives in Elturel for the first time.",
										"In {@adventure chapter 4|BGDIA|7}, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} regains her 2/day spells ({@spell bless}, {@spell cure wounds}, and {@spell protection from evil and good}) when she arrives at the Bleeding Citadel.",
										"In {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|8}, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} regains her 1/day spells ({@spell banishment}, {@spell heal}, {@spell raise dead}, {@spell shapechange}, and {@spell teleport}) once she helps reunite Zariel with her sword."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Lulu's Background",
									"page": 51,
									"id": "10b",
									"entries": [
										"While studying a portal to the Nine Hells located in the Fields of the Dead west of Elturel, Sylvira found {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and befriended her. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} stayed with Sylvira at Candlekeep for a while but didn't get along with the tiefling's quasit familiar, Jezebel. Sylvira decided {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} would make a better companion for {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}, given his eccentricity and good nature. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is integral to the characters' future success, though they shouldn't know that yet.",
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} can speak Celestial but prefers to use telepathy, which allows her to talk to one creature at a time. If a character asks {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} about her history battling devils in the Nine Hells, she shares the following information:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "10c",
											"entries": [
												"\"I was with the angel Zariel when she assembled her army of Hellriders to attack Avernus. Through the gate we went, tearing through devils like a song through air. Victory was within our grasp until some of the Hellriders betrayed us. They retreated through the gate and sealed it behind them.",
												"\"Before she was captured, Zariel told me to hide her sword so that it wouldn't fall into evil hands. Someone helped me hide the sword, but I don't remember who. We found a place to hide it, but I don't remember where. I escaped Avernus, but I don't remember how. Most of my memory is gone, and I don't remember why.\""
											]
										},
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory was badly damaged by events she can't remember, but a summary of those events is presented here for your benefit.",
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} was more than Zariel's traveling companion. She was the angel's friend and war mount, with the power to shapechange into a golden-furred mammoth with wings. Their friendship stretches back centuries.",
										"When defeat on Avernus appeared inevitable, Zariel entrusted her sword to Yael, her most loyal general, and ordered {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} to help Yael find a way to hide the weapon. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and Yael blundered into a mob of demons led by the demon lord Yeenoghu, but narrowly escaped. Yeenoghu's pet\u2014an enormous demon named {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}\u2014chased Yael and {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} across Avernus. Before it could devour them, Yael plunged Zariel's holy blade into a stone as {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} poured every ounce of her celestial being into it. A fortress sprang up around the sword, hedging out all evil. The effort so taxed {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} that she became disoriented and flew away, leaving Yael behind.",
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} wandered Avernus for months until she came upon a traveling market called the Wandering Emporium. A rakshasa named Mahadi tricked her into thinking he was her friend, only to splash her with a tiny bit of water from the River Styx, leaving her in a feeble mental state and stripping away her spellcasting powers. Mahadi then gave {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} to a group of devils as a gift for the archdevil Zariel. Zariel could not abide {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s presence\u2014but nor could she bring herself to harm her former friend. Zariel had {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} sent back to Faerûn with her mental faculties restored. Unfortunately, the damage to {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory was not so easy to repair."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Lulu's Memories",
									"page": 51,
									"id": "10d",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "table",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Memory"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"\"I used to be able to shapechange into a golden mammoth. In this form, I served as Zariel's war mount.\""
												],
												[
													"2",
													"\"Zariel's most loyal Hellrider, Yael, took the sword and plunged it into a rock. I called on every ounce of goodness in my heart to raise a shield around it\u2014a fortress against evil.\""
												],
												[
													"3",
													"\"The demon lord Yeenoghu wants to destroy Zariel's sword. He hates it as much as he hates her. We fought him once, but I don't remember where.\""
												],
												[
													"4",
													"\"I wandered Avernus for a while, then hid in a place called the Wandering Emporium. I made a friend there. His name was Mahadi. Maybe he can help us.\""
												],
												[
													"5",
													"\"The Zariel I knew is gone, replaced by a devil with a halo of fire and vengeance. 'This is who I am,' she told me. 'When demons die, they cry out my name in terror.' Those were Zariel's last words to me.\""
												],
												[
													"6",
													"\"It was Zariel who sent me back here. I don't know why. Maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014there's a tiny little spark of goodness deep down inside her still.\""
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Restored Memories",
									"page": 51,
									"id": "10e",
									"entries": [
										"Friendship is important to {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} in ways both physical and spiritual. Her growing friendship with the characters causes the hollyphant to remember things long forgotten. For the remainder of the adventure, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} can regain lost memories whenever you wish. Ideally, these memories come back to her one at a time at moments when her friendship with the characters feels important. Any remaining memories return at once when {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} regains all her spellcasting abilities.",
										"When the time comes for {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} to recall a lost memory, roll a {@dice d6} and consult the {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s Memories table to see which memory comes back to her, or just pick one. If you roll for a memory that has come up before, roll again or choose a different memory."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Roleplaying Lulu",
									"page": 51,
									"id": "10f",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} doesn't have a mean bone in her little body. She believes in the power of friendship and looks forward to kicking evil's butt with the characters by her side.",
										"If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} becomes too much of a burden for you to run as an NPC, see if one of the players wants to run the hollyphant as a secondary character. Provide the consenting player with a copy of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s stat block, noting that {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has presently lost her Innate Spellcasting trait. As she regains memories and the use of certain spells, notify the player of these changes to her character."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Plane Shift",
							"page": 51,
							"id": "110",
							"entries": [
								"The characters should advance to 5th level before leaving {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA}'s tower. When they're ready to be sent to Avernus, read the following boxed text aloud:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "111",
									"entries": [
										"As you stand together in a circle, {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} taps the tuning fork on the floor and casts his {@spell plane shift} spell."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 2: Elturel Has Fallen",
			"page": 52,
			"id": "112",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/026-jkxip-02-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1000,
					"height": 651
				},
				"Once a holy city whose folk venerated Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr, Elturel is now a site of doom and despair tethered some five hundred feet above the River Styx. Eight great chains bind the city to jagged posts of infernal iron, which stick up out of the ground like gargantuan spikes. (See \"{@area Climbing Down|190|x}\" at the end of this chapter for a full description of the infernal chains.) The bottoms of those spikes are guarded by scores of devils, making escaping the city by climbing down an arduous task. The Companion, the second sun that provided so much solace and protection to the city for years, now glares down on Elturel like a baleful eye\u2014a black void crackling with lightning.",
				"One circumstance has saved the city from being overrun by devils: a massive surge of demons attacking the devils' positions on the ground. Forced to fend off these demonic hordes, the devils must bide their time until they have the resources to send troops to subjugate the remaining citizens of Elturel. Even so, random demons, devils, and other creatures have infiltrated the city. The characters have time to learn about Elturel's situation and enact a way to save the city before it is lost.",
				"Even as the characters get their bearings, they hear a cacophonous tumult taking place far beneath the city. An endless stream of demons crawls forth from the murky waters of the River Styx, to be met by the ordered forces of Avernus attempting to drive them back. This battle continues for the entirety of the characters' stay in Elturel.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Running This Chapter",
					"page": 52,
					"id": "113",
					"entries": [
						"{@adventure Diagram 2.1|BGDIA|2|Arrival in Elturel} is a flowchart that presents the key events of this chapter in sequence.",
						"The adventurers should be 5th level when they arrive in Elturel. They begin on the east side of the city, where the immediate danger is greatest. With or without Reya Mantlemorn to guide them, the characters make their way toward the High Hall cathedral. Once they rid the cathedral and its catacombs of fiends, the adventurers should be 6th level.",
						"NPC survivors cowering in the crypts under the High Hall cathedral urge the characters to locate Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} of Baldur's Gate, who has emerged as Elturel's unlikeliest savior. This quest leads the characters to the chapel in Elturel's grand cemetery, where {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} has fallen into a psychic coma after coming into telepathic contact with the demon lord Baphomet. After seeing Ravengard safely back to the High Hall and ridding him of his malady, the characters should be 7th level and ready to leave Elturel in search of the means to free the city from its chains and return what's left of it to Faerûn."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Arrival in Elturel",
					"page": 52,
					"id": "114",
					"entries": [
						"A {@spell plane shift} spell transports {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} the wizard and up to eight other creatures to Elturel, including {@creature Hollyphant|BGDIA|Lulu the hollyphant} and Reya Mantlemorn if she's still with the party. When the group arrives in Elturel, read the following boxed text aloud to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "115",
							"entries": [
								"A hot, stinging air assaults your senses. The city street in which you stand is lined with buildings that are crumbling, if not already collapsed. The ground shudders beneath your feet. In the red, smoky sky, a 400-foot-diamater sphere of darkness discharges strokes of bluish-white lightning that strike the city at irregular intervals. Perched atop a distant bluff, overlooking the rest of the city, is a crumbled fortress.",
								"{@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} gazes up at the black orb nervously, utters a few arcane syllables, and disappears in the blink of an eye."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/027-3l0ic-flowchart-2-1.webp"
							},
							"title": "Diagram 2.1: Chapter 2 Flowchart",
							"width": 713,
							"height": 1142
						},
						"{@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} casts {@spell time stop}, giving him time to flee using his {@spell fly} spell. He's long gone before the {@spell time stop} ends and the characters can react. Any character who succeeds on a DC 19 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check deduces how {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} made his escape. The party doesn't encounter {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} again unless you want him to reappear later in the adventure. {@creature Traxigor|BGDIA} has no interest in saving Elturel or picking sides in the Blood War. After finishing a long rest, he can cast {@spell plane shift} again and return to his tower on the Material Plane.",
						"The characters and any remaining NPC companions have a few minutes to acclimate to their new surroundings before facing their first threat in the city (see \"{@area Unwelcome Party|116|x}\" below). See the \"{@area Elturel Hazards|123|x}\" sidebar for more information about the earthquakes and other dangers.",
						"Upon her return to Avernus, {@creature Hollyphant|BGDIA|Lulu the hollyphant} regains her at-will innate spellcasting ability: {@spell light}. In terms of her memories, she can at first only recognize that the surroundings feel familiar, albeit in a terrible way. The sounds and scents of Avernus trigger memories of Zariel's fall and the angel's earliest days as a denizen of the Lower Planes. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s time spent in Avernus and key interactions with specific NPCs slowly trigger the memories that help put the characters on a path to save the city.",
						"Reya Mantlemorn is disheartened by what she sees around her\u2014Elturel in shambles\u2014and is more determined than ever to try to save her city from destruction. She offers to lead the characters to the High Hall cathedral, where she hopes to find someone in charge.",
						"If the characters brought the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} with them, Gargauth the pit fiend tries to escape from its prison and fails miserably. Although characters are unaware of Gargauth's escape attempt, the pit fiend grows increasingly despondent and impatient as they explore Elturel. Gargauth urges the characters not to tarry in the city, lest they get pulled down into the River Styx with it. Secretly, the pit fiend hopes that another means of escape will present itself once the characters leave Elturel and explore Avernus.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Unwelcome Party",
							"page": 53,
							"id": "116",
							"entries": [
								"The characters' first encounter in Elturel is a gruesome one. A number of innocent residents of the city have been in hiding to avoid the devils patrolling their streets, but a lack of food and water has forced one group to abandon their refuge. Spotted by devils, these citizens are about to come under attack, and the characters are their only hope of survival.",
								"Read the following boxed text to set the scene as the characters arrive in Elturel:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "117",
									"entries": [
										"Around the corner of a still-standing structure runs a woman with two toddlers, one on each arm. In her wake amble three infernal monsters with glaives and snakelike beards. The fiends are laughing darkly."
									]
								},
								"Three {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} named Blass, Nodd, and Thunn have infiltrated the city and are looking to wreak havoc. {@creature Harkina Hunt|BGDIA} and her young twin boys, Ezo and Brask, were out searching for provisions when the three devils spotted them. The chase has progressed into this street, 30 feet from the location of the characters' arrival.",
								"Unless the characters intervene, the bearded devils reach the innocent humans within a few rounds, then quickly capture them. Once captured, all three will be sold into slavery at the Wandering Emporium (see \"{@area Wandering Emporium|297|x}\"), in exchange for favors or goods that can help the devils advance in power.",
								"As the characters take in this scene, everyone rolls for initiative. On their turns, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and Reya see the three humans about to be attacked by the devils and immediately move to defend them, regardless of what the characters do. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is hesitant to use her trumpet for fear of hurting the family or attracting other fiends, but does so as a last resort.",
								"Members of the Hunt family reduced to 0 hit points by the devils are knocked {@condition unconscious} rather than killed, as the devils are hoping to take them prisoner. These devils don't offer that same courtesy to the characters or their NPC companions.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Aftermath",
									"page": 54,
									"id": "118",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters save the Hunt family, Harkina expresses her undying gratitude. Although a {@creature commoner}, she carries a longbow with which she is proficient. She uses it to protect her family. In addition to her longbow, she carries a quiver with forty arrows, twenty of which are silvered.",
										"Harkina can relay the following information regarding the current situation in the city:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Many of Elturel's citizens died when the city was drawn to this terrible place. Still more have died in the days since, from the attacks of terrible creatures, a lack of food and water, and the collapse of many of the city's buildings.",
												"Harkina and the boys have been hiding in the basement of a tavern that had enough reserves of food and water to keep them alive for a time. When those provisions ran out, the family was forced to creep from safety to search for more.",
												"The city has been split in two. Harkina has heard from other survivors that this side of Elturel (formerly the eastern part of the city) is the worse off. The High Hall\u2014the great castle that is home to Elturel's leaders\u2014is where she was planning to take her boys to find safety.",
												"High Overseer {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} is the leader of the city, and Harkina hopes that he is working on a plan to rescue survivors and drive away the devils. If he's still alive, Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} of Baldur's Gate is probably at the High Hall as well."
											]
										},
										"If the characters capture and interrogate a bearded devil, or any other devil encountered in Elturel, it reveals the following information in response to a successful DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Intimidation}) check, assuming the characters agree to release it:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"The demon attacks from the River Styx intensified when the city appeared in the sky.",
												"The demons are trying to climb the binding posts or fly to the city, but the devils constantly push them back. The devils are also trying to figure out how to best use the city to their strategic advantage.",
												"Slowly and erratically, the spiked posts that bind Elturel are being drawn into the ground, pulling the city down toward the River Styx. (The devil doesn't know how long that process will take.)",
												"The only reason the city is not already under the control of devilish forces is the demon attacks. Stemming that abyssal tide is taking all the devils' resources.",
												"The devil assumes the city was brought here by Zariel, the ruler of Avernus."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Handling Noncombatants",
											"page": 54,
											"id": "119",
											"entries": [
												"The characters have the opportunity to rescue survivors in the eastern part of Elturel, with all those survivors desperate to have the party escort them to relative safety in the western part of the city. When new fights break out with vulnerable NPCs in tow, it's up to you how you want to handle those NPCs in combat.",
												"The easiest option is to have the NPCs stay back and out of the way, limiting their options to following the characters or hiding from enemies. During fights, you can effectively forget about those NPCs, assuming that the most capable among them are dealing with minor threats in the background while the adventurers handle the potent foes. You can also have combat-worthy NPCs join the fight, if you're up for running them. Have all NPCs act on the same initiative count, and focus their actions on assisting the characters in combat, rather than engaging in side fights of their own.",
												"If the characters bring NPCs along, it increases the chances of having an encounter as the party moves from one location to another. Whenever you roll the {@dice d20} to determine random encounters (see \"More Encounters in Elturel\"), an encounter takes place on a roll of 9 or higher."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "More Encounters in Elturel",
							"page": 54,
							"id": "11a",
							"entries": [
								"After their initial encounter with the Hunt family and the bearded devils, the characters are likely to want to get to the High Hall as quickly as possible to locate Grand Duke Ravengard. If you haven't done so already, unfold the poster map with the Elturel side facing up so players can get a sense of the city's layout and where they must go to reach the High Hall. {@adventure Map 2.1|BGDIA|2|Map 2.1: Elturel} is a shrunk-down version of this side of the poster map.",
								"Whenever the party moves from one named location to another, roll a {@dice d20}. A roll of 11 or higher indicates an encounter while the characters travel within the city. For example, as the characters travel to a bridge, make an encounter check. Then after crossing the bridge and moving toward the High Hall, make another check. Also make checks if the characters wander the streets or go off in search of other survivors.",
								"If an encounter is indicated, roll on the Encounters in Elturel table or choose an encounter you like. Each encounter can occur only once. If you roll an encounter that has already occurred, reroll on the table or select a different encounter. These encounters are described in the sections that follow the table.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Encounters in Elturel",
									"colLabels": [
										"d10",
										"Encounter"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"{@area Collapsed building|11b|x}"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@area Cry for help|11c|x}"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"{@area Ghastly meal|11d|x}"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"{@area Ghoul pack|11e|x}"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"{@area Hateful patrol|120|x}"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"{@area Imp sales pitch|121|x}"
										],
										[
											"7",
											"{@area Narzugon cavalier|127|x}"
										],
										[
											"8",
											"{@area Spouts of hellfire|128|x}"
										],
										[
											"9",
											"{@area Vrock philosophy|12a|x}"
										],
										[
											"10",
											"{@area Zombie horde|12b|x}"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Collapsed Building",
									"page": 55,
									"id": "11b",
									"entries": [
										"A quake rocks the city, and a building collapses in the distance. The characters hear cries for help emerging from the rubble.",
										"To keep the trapped victims from suffocating or being crushed, the characters must succeed on a total of six ability checks to rescue them before incurring three failures. The base DC for these checks is 10. Possible checks could include Strength ({@skill Athletics}) checks to remove debris, Dexterity ({@skill Acrobatics}) checks to squeeze into tight places, Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) checks to determine the best place to dig or support the structure, or Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) checks to notice dangerous areas threatening to collapse further. You might also decide that magic or other abilities could result in automatic successes.",
										"During the rescue, the commotion might attract devils (see \"{@area Hateful Patrol|120|x}\" below) or other unwelcome attention.",
										"If the characters succeed in the rescue attempt, they pull out three lawful good shield dwarves from beneath the collapsed building: Strovin Ironfist, Kartra Boulderstern, and Velkora Ashenwell. Strovin and Kartra are laborers (use the {@creature commoner} stat block), but Velkora is a mason and an {@creature acolyte} of the dwarven god Moradin. Her healing powers would be a welcome resource at the High Hall. All three dwarves speak Common and Dwarvish, and have {@sense darkvision} out to a range of 60 feet. They also have resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against being {@condition poisoned}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cry for Help",
									"page": 55,
									"id": "11c",
									"entries": [
										"The characters hear a voice shouting for help. If they follow the voice, they find a male human under attack by two {@creature Bulezau|MTF|bulezaus} that slipped past the devils and climbed the infernal binding posts to Elturel.",
										"If the characters save the man, he introduces himself as Orin Ragron, a blacksmith who had a shop in Elturel. Orin is actually an {@creature incubus} in disguise named Faltrax. The incubus is trying to gain information on the defenses of Elturel, which it then plans to sell to the highest fiendish bidder. If the characters discover Faltrax's true nature, the incubus flees."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ghastly Meal",
									"page": 55,
									"id": "11d",
									"entries": [
										"The characters catch of glimpse of four cloaked figures sneaking out of an alleyway and into a residence, as if trying not to be seen. If the characters enter the residence, they see four {@creature Ghast||ghasts} standing around a table eating the remains of a human family that perished here during the trip to Avernus. The ghasts reek of death and decay.",
										"When the ghasts are dealt with, a successful DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check discerns a faint crying coming from a cupboard. Inside is a young girl called Shorah Hevrun. A noncombatant, she immediately attaches herself to the first character who is kind to her. Shorah insists on accompanying the characters until she feels safe. If they can get her to the High Hall, each character gains inspiration, and the survivors there can see to Shorah's care."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ghoul Pack",
									"page": 55,
									"id": "11e",
									"entries": [
										"Seven {@creature Ghoul||ghouls} roam the streets of Elturel, looking for their next meal. Their leader, formerly an adventuring rogue, wears magical {@item studded leather armor|PHB} that increases its AC to 13 (see \"Treasure\" below). These former citizens of the city died when Elturel was drawn into Avernus. Their souls were corrupted by the terrible power of the plane, leaving them in these undead forms.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 55,
											"id": "11f",
											"entries": [
												"The ghoul leader wears {@item +1 studded leather armor}, carries an {@item explorer's pack|PHB}, and sports a belt pouch holding a {@item potion of invisibility}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Hateful Patrol",
									"page": 55,
									"id": "120",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature merregon|MTF} leads three {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} through the streets, looking for mortal survivors or demons that have slipped past the devilish forces below the city. The spined devils grumble in Infernal, unhappy about being up here when they could be fighting demons in the battle below. The merregon takes their insolence in silence."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Imp Sales Pitch",
									"page": 55,
									"id": "121",
									"entries": [
										"As the characters pass an alleyway, they notice an {@creature imp} talking with a halfling. The two are focused on each other, making it easy for characters to get close enough to overhear the conversation in Common. The halfling, a baker ({@creature commoner}) named Pilster Pebblehuck, has been hiding with his family in the basement of their bakery. They are running out of food, so Pilster has braved the streets to search for provisions. The imp, Perchillux, is offering Pilster a month's worth of food for the low price of his soul. Pilster is preparing to sign the contract as the characters come upon the pair.",
										"The contract is written on parchment made of halfling skin. If any character interrupts the signing and asks to read the contract, the imp tells them this is none of their business. Pilster welcomes the interruption, however, since he is having second thoughts about the deal, and he hands the contract to the characters. A successful DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check penetrates the dense and convoluted text of the contract\u2014which will give the imp the souls of Pilster's entire family if Pilster signs it.",
										"If the characters attack the imp, it turns {@condition invisible} and attempts to escape as quickly as possible. If the characters save Pilster from selling his soul, he thanks the characters and begs them to get him and his family to safety. His wife, Merrywile, and their three children are nearby.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 56,
											"id": "122",
											"entries": [
												"In addition to the contract, the imp carries a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} from a previous interaction that it plans to give to its master.",
												{
													"type": "inset",
													"name": "Elturel Hazards",
													"page": 55,
													"id": "123",
													"entries": [
														"In addition to the threats they'll face from fiendish creatures and undead in Elturel, the characters quickly become aware of the threats presented by the city itself.",
														{
															"type": "entries",
															"name": "Falling",
															"page": 55,
															"id": "124",
															"entries": [
																"Any creature that falls from Elturel's location high above Avernus plummets 500 feet into the soul-shattering waters of the River Styx, taking 70 ({@dice 20d6}) bludgeoning damage from the fall. The memory-wiping effects of the river are described in \"{@adventure River Styx|BGDIA|2|River Styx}\". However, characters who plunge into the Styx or the battle raging around the river are likely killed immediately, with their bodies beyond recovery."
															]
														},
														{
															"type": "entries",
															"name": "Lightning",
															"page": 55,
															"id": "125",
															"entries": [
																"Lightning from the Companion strikes the city every minute or so. The odds of the characters being harmed by the lightning are slim, but you can use it to reinforce a sense of urgency as the lightning damages a rooftop, triggers a building collapse, or strikes the ground nearby."
															]
														},
														{
															"type": "entries",
															"name": "Quakes",
															"page": 55,
															"id": "126",
															"entries": [
																"Every so often, the entire city lurches from side to side as the great posts binding it to Avernus sink farther into the ground. This results in the same kind of damage that would be caused by an earthquake on the Material Plane: loose objects fall, buildings are damaged, cracks form in the ground and the streets, and creatures fall {@condition prone}.",
																"When Elturel shifts, creatures standing on any surface in the city must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall {@condition prone}. In addition, you can describe other damage and drama resulting from a shift. Perhaps a building collapses, forcing any creature close enough to be struck by falling debris to succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 ({@dice 2d6}) bludgeoning damage."
															]
														}
													]
												},
												{
													"type": "gallery",
													"images": [
														{
															"type": "image",
															"href": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/028-huyub-map-2-1.webp"
															},
															"title": "Map 2.1: Elturel",
															"width": 4250,
															"height": 3020,
															"imageType": "map",
															"grid": {
																"type": "none"
															},
															"id": "3c7"
														},
														{
															"type": "image",
															"href": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/029-fjxsa-map-elturel-poster.webp"
															},
															"title": "Player Version",
															"width": 4250,
															"height": 3020,
															"imageType": "mapPlayer",
															"grid": {
																"type": "none"
															},
															"mapParent": {
																"id": "3c7"
															}
														}
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Narzugon Cavalier",
									"page": 56,
									"id": "127",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature narzugon|MTF} patrols the streets of Elturel on the back of a {@creature nightmare} equipped with {@item infernal tack|MTF}. The devil has orders to hunt down and destroy any demons that might have slipped past the battle on the ground below and gained access to the city.",
										"When {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} sees the creature, she tells the characters that it is very powerful and should not be confronted."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Spouts of Hellfire",
									"page": 56,
									"id": "128",
									"entries": [
										"The characters see a charred humanoid corpse in the middle of the street, clutching a {@item silvered longsword|phb} in its hand. When any creature moves within 5 feet of the corpse, a gout of hellfire erupts from it. Any creature within 5 feet of the corpse must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 ({@dice 4d6}) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 56,
											"id": "129",
											"entries": [
												"If the corpse is examined further, an intact vial is found in its charred belt pouch. The vial contains a {@item Potion of Frost Giant Strength||potion of giant strength (frost)}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Vrock Philosophy",
									"page": 56,
									"id": "12a",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature vrock} fled the battle and flew up to the city to ponder its role in all things. As long as the characters leave it alone, it doesn't attack. If they approach, it speaks with them, using its telepathy to communicate with one character at a time if none of the characters speaks Abyssal.",
										"The vrock pontificates on the vagaries and possible meanings of existence. If the characters treat it nicely, indulge it in its ponderings, and succeed on a DC 13 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check, they can get it to do them one small favor. If they attack it, the vrock repays their hostility in kind.",
										"Favors from the vrock might include providing information about what's happening beneath the city, about what forces guard the bridges between the city's east and west sections, or about the demons' plan to use a portal to enter the city (see {@area area G12|183|x}), although it doesn't know where that portal is."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Zombie Horde",
									"page": 58,
									"id": "12b",
									"entries": [
										"As the characters pass a building, they hear a pounding coming from the front door. The door is stuck but not locked, requiring a successful DC 15 Strength check to force it open. If the characters do this, twelve {@creature Zombie||zombies} burst from the building as an avalanche of undead bodies, burying anyone standing near the door in the pile. This leaves those characters and the zombies {@condition prone} at the start of combat.",
										"If the characters deal with the zombies and search the building, they discover that it was a school. Five casks each holding three gallons of fresh water are stored in the basement.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/030-qtzty-02-02-large.webp"
											},
											"title": "Anchored by the chains of Avernus, the city of Elturel is doomed to drown in the River Styx unless someone finds a way to save it.",
											"width": 2513,
											"height": 3338
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Torm's Bridges",
							"page": 58,
							"id": "12c",
							"entries": [
								"Two bridges that once spanned a ravine in the city are now all that connect the east and west sections of Elturel over the great rift that has fallen away beneath them. The north bridge is called Torm's Reach, while the south bridge is named Torm's Blade. Unless the characters can fly or teleport, they must use one of the bridges on their trek toward the High Hall.",
								"When the characters approach either bridge, they can make out the initial details of the rift and can see the guards blocking the path. Read the following to set the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "12d",
									"entries": [
										"A rift in the earth divides Elturel into two sections. The riotous din of the battle taking place far below the city is louder here, echoing up and through the jagged open chasm.",
										"A bridge twenty feet wide and more than a hundred feet long spans the chasm. Holy runes etched into the stonework of the bridge indicate that the structure has been consecrated in the name of Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice. Six infernal creatures stand guard at the center of the bridge, scanning in all directions."
									]
								},
								"Each bridge is guarded by an infernal force tasked with cutting off any assistance between the east and west sides of the city. Each group consists of two {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} and four {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils}. Unsubtle brutes, these creatures have parked themselves in the middle of each bridge to maintain a vigilant watch. Taking them on is a tough fight, but the characters might have a trick up their collective sleeves.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Holy Runes",
									"page": 58,
									"id": "12e",
									"entries": [
										"Any character trained in {@skill Arcana}, {@skill History}, or {@skill Religion} recognizes that the runes etched into the stonework of each bridge can be activated to produce a radiant energy harmful to fiends and undead. A character touching the bridge who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Religion}) check as an action can speak the proper prayers to Torm to activate the runes for 1 minute. While the runes are active, any fiend or undead creature that starts its turn in contact with the bridge takes 22 ({@dice 4d10}) radiant damage. When this effect ends, the runes cannot be activated again for 1 hour."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "High Hall",
					"page": 58,
					"id": "12f",
					"entries": [
						"Although the forces of Avernus are occupied driving back the demonic attack from the River Styx, a few teams of devils have been ordered to infiltrate Elturel, sow chaos among the surviving citizenry, reap the souls of any mortals they find, and test the city's defenses. The members of some of those advance teams have noted that the High Hall appears to be the center of the city's defenses and survival efforts. As such, they have decided to mount a quick and decisive strike against it.",
						"As the characters approach the High Hall, they see that a devilish assault on the fortress's cathedral is underway. The characters can enter the fray, defeat the perpetrators, and help bring temporary stability to the situation. After defeating the devils, the characters learn from the survivors that Grand Duke Ravengard was at the High Hall, but left recently. He took a contingent of soldiers with him to the city's cemetery, hoping that an ancient relic found there might help save the city.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "High Hall Overview",
							"page": 58,
							"id": "130",
							"entries": [
								"The High Hall is a grand alabaster castle dedicated to Torm, the god of courage and self-sacrifice. It houses many of Elturel's religious and political leaders\u2014or at least it did when the city was in the mortal realm.",
								"Shortly after Elturel was pulled into Avernus, a meteor hurled through the High Hall, collapsing the offices and residences of those who could best organize a defense of the city. Most of the leaders of Elturel were killed by the meteor, but Grand Duke Ravengard of Baldur's Gate and his retinue were spared the devastation. Ravengard immediately took control of the situation, marshaled Elturel's remaining forces, and set out a plan to protect the city. Ravengard's forces couldn't save the eastern part of the city, and more frequent demonic and devilish incursions have worn away at their control of the western portion.",
								"The survivors here\u2014including the last of the city's leadership\u2014have taken up residence in the cathedral part of the High Hall, perhaps the most secure and sturdy edifice left in Elturel. Yet even the cathedral is under assault, and without the characters' assistance, its defenders are sure to fall."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Approaching the High Hall",
							"page": 58,
							"id": "131",
							"entries": [
								"When the characters approach the High Hall, read the following boxed text to describe the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "132",
									"entries": [
										"This clifftop castle was once the crowning architectural jewel of Elturel. Only three of its five watchtowers towers still stand, though they appear abandoned. The wooden gates that once led into the castle grounds have been shattered, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.",
										"The west side of the castle has been reduced to a pile of smashed brick and broken wood. The surviving buildings are blackened by soot. At the center of the castle grounds, the High Hall cathedral stands defiant."
									]
								},
								"No threats reveal themselves to the characters as they enter the castle grounds. Once inside, they spot two humans in plate armor lying dead on the ground near the shattered gate, blood still oozing from their bite wounds.",
								"As the characters approach the center of the courtyard, they see two {@creature Hell Hound||hell hounds} standing guard in front of the cathedral doors. These fiends have been instructed by their devil masters to prevent any mortal creatures from entering or leaving the cathedral.",
								"The characters must defeat the hell hounds to gain access to the cathedral. Have them make a DC 15 group Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) check to find cover amid the rubble as they move. If half or more of the characters succeed on their individual checks, the group check is successful, allowing the characters to reach the base of the cathedral steps without being noticed by the hell hounds. This grants the characters surprise when the fight begins.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/031-nsppi-02-03.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 651
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Cathedral Assault",
							"page": 59,
							"id": "133",
							"entries": [
								"Four groups of devils and their allies are moving through the cathedral. These groups are spread out to cause as much havoc as possible, and have orders to kill everyone in their path.",
								"As the DM, you can decide where the characters encounter each of these groups. These encounters are meant to be run separately, although running two encounters back-to-back with no chance for the characters to rest or heal can be a good challenge for a powerful party.",
								"If you want to keep these encounters simple and straightforward, you can have them take place in locations with no strange effects or hazards. If you want to make an encounter more interesting, have the combat take place during a quake (see the \"{@area Elturel Hazards|123|x}\" sidebar). If you want a fight to go easier for the characters, have some of the foes withdraw or have some NPC survivors assist the characters.",
								"Most of the survivors currently in the cathedral are preparing for a last stand in the main crypts ({@area area H16|159|x}), so that area should be free of devils unless the characters arrive there just as the devils do.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Group 1: Abishai and Cultists",
									"page": 59,
									"id": "134",
									"entries": [
										"This group is led by the mastermind behind the raid on the cathedral: Victuusa, a {@creature white abishai|MTF}. Victuusa serves both Tiamat and Zariel in an attempt to gain the most favor, and is presently searching for the leaders of the Elturel resistance. It wants nothing more than to deliver the heads of those leaders to Zariel personally. Victuusa leads six lawful evil human {@creature Cultist||cultists} devoted to Zariel."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Group 2: Crab Attack",
									"page": 59,
									"id": "135",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature barbed devil} named Dreb marshals a pack of eight {@creature Giant Crab||giant crabs} through the cathedral. These crabs look and act like normal giant crabs, except for the spines protruding from their shells and the vile brimstone smell they exude. The clacking of the crabs' claws on the marble floors of the cathedral makes it impossible for this group to sneak up on anyone."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Group 3: Devilish Brigands",
									"page": 60,
									"id": "136",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature spined devil} leads three human brigands (use the {@creature bandit captain} stat block to represent them) on a rampage. The brigands were driven mad by the journey to Avernus, and have now pledged themselves to their spined devil master. Their madness causes them to bellow and gibber as they move through the cathedral. The spined devil roars at them as it uses its telepathy to order them to focus. This lack of caution and discipline makes ambushing or sneaking up on the group easy, granting advantage on Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) checks to do so."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Group 4: Hellish Hunters",
									"page": 60,
									"id": "137",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature merregon|MTF} oversees a mangy pair of {@creature Hell Hound||hell hounds}. The devil uses the hounds to sniff out survivors who might be hiding."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "High Hall Cathedral",
							"page": 60,
							"id": "138",
							"entries": [
								"Three levels make up the High Hall cathedral: the cathedral level (areas H1 through H6), the choir level (areas H7 through H9), and the catacombs level (areas H10 through H17). These locations are keyed to {@adventure map 2.2|BGDIA|2|Map 2.2: High Hall Cathedral}, {@adventure map 2.3|BGDIA|2|Map 2.3: High Hall Cathedral, Choir Level}, and {@adventure map 2.4|BGDIA|2|Map 2.4: High Hall Catacombs}, respectively.",
								"Most of these descriptions highlight what the areas contain if a devil attack has not taken place there. Based on the encounters provided in the \"{@area Cathedral Assault|133|x}\" section above, you can adjust the text to describe what is happening in an area and what it looks like during or after a devil attack.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "High Hall Cathedral Features",
									"page": 60,
									"id": "139",
									"entries": [
										"Unless otherwise noted, the High Hall cathedral has the following recurring features.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Art",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "13a",
											"entries": [
												"Once decorated with beautiful paintings, statues, and other works that depicted the strength and valor of Elturel's people, the cathedral was magically transformed when Elturel was pulled into Avernus. Now its artwork is a testament to the devils' superiority and strength, showing scenes of mortals succumbing to temptation, dying at the hands of fiends, and suffering eternal torture. When viewed, those images shift and swirl unsettlingly. A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals that the frescoes, mosaics, paintings, and tapestries of the cathedral radiate auras of illusion magic. These effects end if Elturel is freed from the chains of Avernus."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Dimensions",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "13b",
											"entries": [
												"Each of the three levels of the cathedral is set 20 feet higher than the one below it. Rooms in the cathedral are 15 feet high, and have 8-foot-high doorways connecting them."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Doors",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "13c",
											"entries": [
												"The doors of the cathedral are made of iron. Each door is a Large object with AC 19, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. If a door in the cathedral is locked, it can be unlocked with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check with {@item thieves' tools|phb}, or forced open with a successful DC 20 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Illumination",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "13d",
											"entries": [
												"Areas within the cathedral are brightly lit by {@spell continual flame} spells cast on wall sconces."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Walls",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "13e",
											"entries": [
												"Climbing the outside walls of the cathedral without equipment requires a successful DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Windows",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "13f",
											"entries": [
												"Most of the cathedral's windows were shattered during the descent into Avernus, but the windows are covered by defensive shutters that are latched from within and swing outward on iron hinges. A successful DC 17 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check or DC 15 Dexterity check with {@item thieves' tools|phb} opens a shutter from the outside. Each shutter is a Large object with AC 19, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H1. Hall of Heroes",
									"page": 60,
									"id": "140",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "141",
											"entries": [
												"At the top of the stairs leading up to the cathedral, an archway opens into a long hall containing eight columns. Some of the columns have been carved to represent Torm, but the infernal magic of Avernus has warped the others to represent likenesses of a winged female devil wielding a luminous sword."
											]
										},
										"The devil represented in the magically altered columns is Zariel.",
										"The wooden doors leading into the grand foyer have been broken open by the invading devils (see \"{@area Cathedral Assault|133|x}\") and remain ajar. Four guards lie dead in the doorways, eviscerated by one of those devil-led groups."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H2. Grand Foyer",
									"page": 60,
									"id": "142",
									"entries": [
										"The foyer holds two circular stairwells, each leading up to {@area area H7|14c|x} on the choir level. Decorated pillars here depict symbols and scenes representative of Torm. Curtains, some of them shredded by weapons and claws, separate this area from the heart of the cathedral."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H3. Central Altar",
									"page": 60,
									"id": "143",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "144",
											"entries": [
												"An altar rests on a raised dais in this broad hall. Made of beautifully polished teakwood, it takes the shape of a gauntleted hand clenched into a fist. A large lever stands next to the altar, suggesting that it has some sort of mechanical function."
											]
										},
										"The lever can be pulled to open the hand, so that offerings to Torm or bodies undergoing rituals can be placed upon it.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Activating the Altar",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "145",
											"entries": [
												"Even with all that has happened in the city, this altar remains consecrated to Torm. A creature that touches the altar and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Religion}) check regains all its hit points. This check can be attempted only once for any creature. Though the power of the altar works for any creature, it is specifically attuned to those dedicated to Torm. Clerics and paladins of Torm have advantage on the check."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Secret Door",
											"page": 60,
											"id": "146",
											"entries": [
												"Any character who searches the altar while the hand is opened and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check detects a large secret panel in the palm of the hand. The panel opens easily, revealing a concealed staircase descending into the central portion of the catacombs level, just west of {@area area H15|157|x}.",
												{
													"type": "gallery",
													"images": [
														{
															"type": "image",
															"href": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/032-sibw6-map-2-2.webp"
															},
															"title": "Map 2.2: High Hall Cathedral",
															"width": 6105,
															"height": 4000,
															"imageType": "map",
															"grid": {
																"type": "square",
																"size": 128,
																"offsetX": -13,
																"offsetY": -10,
																"distance": 10
															},
															"id": "3c8",
															"mapRegions": [
																{
																	"area": "149",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			911,
																			1655
																		],
																		[
																			1569,
																			1655
																		],
																		[
																			1388,
																			794
																		],
																		[
																			1135,
																			794
																		],
																		[
																			1062,
																			812
																		],
																		[
																			902,
																			914
																		],
																		[
																			818,
																			1077
																		],
																		[
																			769,
																			1292
																		],
																		[
																			788,
																			1382
																		],
																		[
																			862,
																			1560
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "14a",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			902,
																			1665
																		],
																		[
																			1422,
																			1665
																		],
																		[
																			1422,
																			2409
																		],
																		[
																			902,
																			2409
																		],
																		[
																			794,
																			2385
																		],
																		[
																			665,
																			2317
																		],
																		[
																			575,
																			2206
																		],
																		[
																			542,
																			2034
																		],
																		[
																			563,
																			1892
																		],
																		[
																			640,
																			1775
																		],
																		[
																			748,
																			1702
																		],
																		[
																			843,
																			1680
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "149",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			908,
																			2440
																		],
																		[
																			1658,
																			2440
																		],
																		[
																			1554,
																			2542
																		],
																		[
																			1535,
																			2548
																		],
																		[
																			1397,
																			3283
																		],
																		[
																			1178,
																			3292
																		],
																		[
																			1086,
																			3271
																		],
																		[
																			1000,
																			3228
																		],
																		[
																			920,
																			3163
																		],
																		[
																			831,
																			3052
																		],
																		[
																			782,
																			2895
																		],
																		[
																			766,
																			2757
																		],
																		[
																			825,
																			2615
																		],
																		[
																			880,
																			2526
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "147",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			1791,
																			2683
																		],
																		[
																			2551,
																			2683
																		],
																		[
																			2545,
																			2898
																		],
																		[
																			2508,
																			2935
																		],
																		[
																			2425,
																			2932
																		],
																		[
																			2428,
																			3043
																		],
																		[
																			2538,
																			3188
																		],
																		[
																			2523,
																			3569
																		],
																		[
																			2458,
																			3683
																		],
																		[
																			2369,
																			3754
																		],
																		[
																			2262,
																			3785
																		],
																		[
																			2117,
																			3782
																		],
																		[
																			1982,
																			3766
																		],
																		[
																			1886,
																			3695
																		],
																		[
																			1840,
																			3572
																		],
																		[
																			1794,
																			3200
																		],
																		[
																			1911,
																			3074
																		],
																		[
																			1914,
																			2938
																		],
																		[
																			1822,
																			2920
																		],
																		[
																			1791,
																			2908
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "147",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			1800,
																			1409
																		],
																		[
																			1794,
																			1185
																		],
																		[
																			1818,
																			1145
																		],
																		[
																			1917,
																			1145
																		],
																		[
																			1917,
																			1018
																		],
																		[
																			1802,
																			903
																		],
																		[
																			1846,
																			498
																		],
																		[
																			1865,
																			415
																		],
																		[
																			1938,
																			326
																		],
																		[
																			2071,
																			286
																		],
																		[
																			2222,
																			286
																		],
																		[
																			2400,
																			317
																		],
																		[
																			2452,
																			388
																		],
																		[
																			2495,
																			455
																		],
																		[
																			2508,
																			498
																		],
																		[
																			2517,
																			889
																		],
																		[
																			2425,
																			1018
																		],
																		[
																			2415,
																			1142
																		],
																		[
																			2498,
																			1138
																		],
																		[
																			2548,
																			1191
																		],
																		[
																			2542,
																			1409
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "143",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			2926,
																			1785
																		],
																		[
																			2926,
																			1698
																		],
																		[
																			2892,
																			1655
																		],
																		[
																			2320,
																			1575
																		],
																		[
																			2163,
																			1529
																		],
																		[
																			2012,
																			1572
																		],
																		[
																			1852,
																			1714
																		],
																		[
																			1788,
																			1929
																		],
																		[
																			1788,
																			2138
																		],
																		[
																			1846,
																			2311
																		],
																		[
																			1908,
																			2431
																		],
																		[
																			2043,
																			2542
																		],
																		[
																			2228,
																			2554
																		],
																		[
																			2428,
																			2431
																		],
																		[
																			2692,
																			2425
																		],
																		[
																			2889,
																			2434
																		],
																		[
																			2926,
																			2394
																		],
																		[
																			2926,
																			2297
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "142",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			2782,
																			815
																		],
																		[
																			3037,
																			803
																		],
																		[
																			3083,
																			748
																		],
																		[
																			3089,
																			680
																		],
																		[
																			3532,
																			680
																		],
																		[
																			3603,
																			769
																		],
																		[
																			3692,
																			794
																		],
																		[
																			3800,
																			794
																		],
																		[
																			3806,
																			1043
																		],
																		[
																			4335,
																			1043
																		],
																		[
																			4335,
																			1668
																		],
																		[
																			4378,
																			1751
																		],
																		[
																			4446,
																			1803
																		],
																		[
																			4452,
																			1895
																		],
																		[
																			4397,
																			1911
																		],
																		[
																			4342,
																			1966
																		],
																		[
																			4338,
																			2111
																		],
																		[
																			4400,
																			2173
																		],
																		[
																			4458,
																			2182
																		],
																		[
																			4458,
																			2280
																		],
																		[
																			4375,
																			2326
																		],
																		[
																			4332,
																			2388
																		],
																		[
																			4320,
																			2505
																		],
																		[
																			4320,
																			3025
																		],
																		[
																			3812,
																			3025
																		],
																		[
																			3812,
																			3292
																		],
																		[
																			3640,
																			3292
																		],
																		[
																			3575,
																			3342
																		],
																		[
																			3538,
																			3400
																		],
																		[
																			3088,
																			3400
																		],
																		[
																			3077,
																			3345
																		],
																		[
																			3062,
																			3289
																		],
																		[
																			3006,
																			3274
																		],
																		[
																			2775,
																			3274
																		],
																		[
																			3068,
																			2569
																		],
																		[
																			3178,
																			2455
																		],
																		[
																			3178,
																			1686
																		],
																		[
																			3178,
																			1634
																		],
																		[
																			3083,
																			1535
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "140",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			4477,
																			252
																		],
																		[
																			4477,
																			3825
																		],
																		[
																			5092,
																			3825
																		],
																		[
																			5092,
																			252
																		]
																	]
																}
															],
															"hrefThumbnail": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/032-sibw6-map-2-2.webp"
															}
														},
														{
															"type": "image",
															"href": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/033-d0d5t-map-2-2-player.webp"
															},
															"title": "Player Version",
															"width": 6105,
															"height": 4000,
															"imageType": "mapPlayer",
															"grid": {
																"type": "square",
																"size": 128,
																"offsetX": -11,
																"offsetY": -5,
																"distance": 10
															},
															"mapParent": {
																"id": "3c8"
															}
														}
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H4. Private Chapels",
									"page": 61,
									"id": "147",
									"entries": [
										"These areas can be curtained off for small private ceremonies. Each of these chapels contains the bodies of dead guards, as well as the foul remains of infernal creatures that died during the initial attack on the cathedral. The columns at the north and south ends of each area have stone altars set before them.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Survivor",
											"page": 61,
											"id": "148",
											"entries": [
												"Seltern Obranch, a {@creature druid} dedicated to {@deity Silvanus|Faerûnian|SCAG}, was here when the attack took place. After being knocked down in the melee, he feigned his demise to trick his attackers. If the characters search the bodies, they notice Seltern open his eyes.",
												"If the characters treat him kindly, Seltern tells of how forces of devils assaulted the cathedral. He knows nothing of the current state of the place, but can tell the characters that all in the cathedral knew to flee to the main crypts ({@area area H16|159|x}) in case of an attack.",
												"Seltern has been using the {@spell goodberry} spell to help keep those in the cathedral alive. However, his connection to his beloved nature grows weaker by the day, and he fears he may soon be unable to cast spells at all. Though he is not truly in danger of losing this ability (his resolve is simply shaken), this can provide a roleplaying opportunity for the characters to boost his spirits and strengthen his faith."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H5. Stairs to Residences",
									"page": 61,
									"id": "149",
									"entries": [
										"These circular stairs once led to residences and offices. They are now choked with rubble, as the sections that housed those spaces were destroyed."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H6. Desecrated Altar of Torm",
									"page": 61,
									"id": "14a",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "14b",
											"entries": [
												"This private chapel holds a desecrated altar with a decidedly fiendish air. Once dedicated to Torm, the altar's features have been defaced with blood, ichor, and torn strips of flesh lashed together with sinew and intestines."
											]
										},
										"This private chapel is similar to those of {@area area H4|147|x}. The devils currently rampaging through the cathedral defaced the holy altar to Torm. Any creature that doesn't actively worship or swear fealty to Zariel that starts its turn within 20 feet of the profane altar gains vulnerability to all damage, accompanied by the sensation of their bones becoming brittle and their skin feeling dry and cracked.",
										"The altar can be restored and its profane effect ended in the following ways:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"A character who kneels before the altar, prays to Torm for 1 minute, and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Religion}) check at the end of the prayer causes Torm's power to wash over the altar and wipe clean the blood and other desecrating elements.",
												"Splashing at least three flasks of holy water on the altar destroys the desecrating elements and purifies the altar."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "gallery",
											"images": [
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/034-rkhyf-map-2-3.webp"
													},
													"title": "Map 2.3: High Hall Cathedral, Choir Level",
													"width": 3700,
													"height": 5600,
													"imageType": "map",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 190,
														"offsetX": -37,
														"offsetY": -54,
														"distance": 10
													},
													"id": "3c9",
													"mapRegions": [
														{
															"area": "14e",
															"points": [
																[
																	2175,
																	1311
																],
																[
																	2117,
																	1175
																],
																[
																	2120,
																	1000
																],
																[
																	2228,
																	754
																],
																[
																	2375,
																	637
																],
																[
																	2594,
																	594
																],
																[
																	2772,
																	591
																],
																[
																	2865,
																	535
																],
																[
																	2858,
																	662
																],
																[
																	3015,
																	782
																],
																[
																	3108,
																	782
																],
																[
																	3062,
																	840
																],
																[
																	3098,
																	1037
																],
																[
																	3218,
																	1065
																],
																[
																	3111,
																	1135
																],
																[
																	3080,
																	1292
																],
																[
																	3138,
																	1372
																],
																[
																	3015,
																	1357
																],
																[
																	2929,
																	1468
																],
																[
																	2935,
																	1609
																],
																[
																	2822,
																	1545
																],
																[
																	2634,
																	1572
																],
																[
																	2505,
																	1572
																],
																[
																	2394,
																	1520
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "14f",
															"points": [
																[
																	2486,
																	1683
																],
																[
																	2597,
																	1705
																],
																[
																	2742,
																	1720
																],
																[
																	2766,
																	2065
																],
																[
																	2791,
																	2169
																],
																[
																	2883,
																	2249
																],
																[
																	3065,
																	2351
																],
																[
																	3191,
																	2452
																],
																[
																	3302,
																	2643
																],
																[
																	3314,
																	2825
																],
																[
																	3286,
																	2945
																],
																[
																	3188,
																	3160
																],
																[
																	3055,
																	3243
																],
																[
																	2898,
																	3348
																],
																[
																	2809,
																	3422
																],
																[
																	2760,
																	3551
																],
																[
																	2748,
																	3766
																],
																[
																	2745,
																	3898
																],
																[
																	2615,
																	3902
																],
																[
																	2486,
																	3929
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "14e",
															"points": [
																[
																	2185,
																	4268
																],
																[
																	2252,
																	4145
																],
																[
																	2409,
																	4062
																],
																[
																	2535,
																	4025
																],
																[
																	2692,
																	4034
																],
																[
																	2828,
																	4062
																],
																[
																	2932,
																	4015
																],
																[
																	2908,
																	4123
																],
																[
																	3015,
																	4228
																],
																[
																	3138,
																	4222
																],
																[
																	3077,
																	4305
																],
																[
																	3098,
																	4468
																],
																[
																	3222,
																	4542
																],
																[
																	3108,
																	4551
																],
																[
																	3052,
																	4726
																],
																[
																	3151,
																	4837
																],
																[
																	3018,
																	4825
																],
																[
																	2883,
																	4951
																],
																[
																	2871,
																	5080
																],
																[
																	2772,
																	5009
																],
																[
																	2572,
																	5009
																],
																[
																	2452,
																	4997
																],
																[
																	2292,
																	4914
																],
																[
																	2182,
																	4775
																],
																[
																	2120,
																	4578
																],
																[
																	2114,
																	4434
																],
																[
																	2145,
																	4354
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "14c",
															"points": [
																[
																	714,
																	1326
																],
																[
																	1723,
																	1317
																],
																[
																	1871,
																	1858
																],
																[
																	1757,
																	1954
																],
																[
																	1692,
																	2123
																],
																[
																	1748,
																	2369
																],
																[
																	1782,
																	2538
																],
																[
																	1788,
																	2874
																],
																[
																	1782,
																	3148
																],
																[
																	1738,
																	3289
																],
																[
																	1677,
																	3375
																],
																[
																	1708,
																	3582
																],
																[
																	1877,
																	3748
																],
																[
																	1738,
																	4280
																],
																[
																	702,
																	4265
																],
																[
																	545,
																	4120
																],
																[
																	538,
																	3957
																],
																[
																	548,
																	3375
																],
																[
																	357,
																	3166
																],
																[
																	363,
																	2428
																],
																[
																	542,
																	2234
																],
																[
																	560,
																	1495
																]
															]
														}
													],
													"hrefThumbnail": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/034-rkhyf-map-2-3.webp"
													}
												},
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/035-7vpmr-map-2-3-player.webp"
													},
													"title": "Player Version",
													"width": 2631,
													"height": 4000,
													"imageType": "mapPlayer",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 137,
														"offsetX": -47,
														"offsetY": -61,
														"distance": 10
													},
													"mapParent": {
														"id": "3c9",
														"autoScale": true
													}
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H7. Pipe Organ",
									"page": 62,
									"id": "14c",
									"entries": [
										"The circular stairs from {@area area H2|142|x} lead up to this area. Read the following boxed text aloud to the players when their characters arrive here for the first time:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "14d",
											"entries": [
												"Situated atop this balcony is a magnificent pipe organ. Its ivory keys practically glow, even as its ebony keys seem to absorb all light."
											]
										},
										"The balcony looks out over {@area area H3|143|x}. Any character who sits down at the pipe organ can feel that it is enchanted with powerful magic, and a {@spell detect magic} spell reveals an aura of enchantment magic around it.",
										"A character who plays the organ and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Performance}) check can play a powerful song that resonates throughout the cathedral. This song grants a bonus die, a {@dice d8}, to every other player character who can hear it. A character can only receive this benefit only once, and the {@dice d8} can be added to one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw made by the character in the next 24 hours.",
										"If the Charisma ({@skill Performance}) check fails by 5 or more, a screeching, hellish tune erupts from the organ instead. Inspired by this cacophony, each devil the characters face in the next combat encounter in the cathedral has advantage on attack rolls during its first turn."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H8. Defenses",
									"page": 62,
									"id": "14e",
									"entries": [
										"Two defensive turrets decorate the front of this area, looking down over the courtyard. Arrow slits in the walls of each turret offer a view of the ground below, but are too narrow for even Small creatures to squeeze through.",
										"The north turret contains a traumatized male human {@creature guard} named Trevick Thantorme. The other guards here ran downstairs when the attack started, only to quickly fall. The panicked Trevick remained here, and now sits curled up and whispering to himself that everything's going to be okay.",
										"A successful DC 10 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check restores Trevick's courage, as does a {@spell calm emotions} spell or similar effect. If the characters allow it, Trevick vows to accompany them on their hunt for the devils. However, the first time he takes any damage, he curls up in a ball again, requiring another check made as an action to get him back in the fight."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H9. Balcony",
									"page": 62,
									"id": "14f",
									"entries": [
										"The doors leading out onto this balcony are locked from the inside. The balcony is 30 feet above the outside courtyard below."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H10. Recessed Mausoleums",
									"page": 62,
									"id": "150",
									"entries": [
										"These areas are the final resting places of esteemed priests, warriors, and other dedicated servants of Elturel. For each of these areas the characters enter, roll a {@dice d6}. On a 1, the characters discover {@dice 1d4} {@condition frightened} {@creature Commoner||commoners} in hiding (if the devils haven't found them) or a number of mangled bodies (if the devils did).",
										"As the DM, you determine the fates of these commoners. If the characters are dawdling because the players don't appreciate the gravity of the threat to the survivors in the cathedral, coming upon deceased commoners can help underline that threat. Having the players understand that these deaths might have been prevented if they had acted more quickly is a good way to inspire the characters to act with a little more urgency."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H11. Vaults",
									"page": 62,
									"id": "151",
									"entries": [
										"These vaults are used for holding bodies waiting to be interred in some other part of the cathedral, or in Elturel's cemetery. The only bodies presently here are people who died as the city was drawn to Avernus."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H12. Temple of the Highest",
									"page": 62,
									"id": "152",
									"entries": [
										"This large temple was used for private ceremonies involving the most powerful and respected figures in Elturel. Each of the semicircular alcoves here contains an elaborate, upright sarcophagus holding the body of a former high priest of Torm. A sarcophagus can be opened with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check by a character proficient with {@item thieves' tools|phb}. Eleven of the sarcophagi contain partially decomposed bodies. The twelfth sarcophagus holds a {@creature mummy}, which attacks as soon as its coffin is opened.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 62,
											"id": "153",
											"entries": [
												"Each sarcophagus contains personal effects, but the sarcophagus with the mummy also contains {@item bracers of defense} and a {@item Elemental Gem, Yellow Diamond||yellow diamond elemental gem}. (The mummy does not use these items in combat.)",
												{
													"type": "gallery",
													"images": [
														{
															"type": "image",
															"href": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/036-qdpq8-map-2-4.webp"
															},
															"title": "Map 2.4: High Hall Catacombs",
															"width": 6154,
															"height": 4000,
															"imageType": "map",
															"grid": {
																"type": "square",
																"size": 140,
																"offsetX": -79,
																"offsetY": 33,
																"distance": 10
															},
															"id": "3ca",
															"mapRegions": [
																{
																	"area": "151",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			480,
																			1022
																		],
																		[
																			526,
																			920
																		],
																		[
																			597,
																			874
																		],
																		[
																			902,
																			883
																		],
																		[
																			895,
																			1142
																		],
																		[
																			600,
																			1138
																		],
																		[
																			523,
																			1108
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			763,
																			597
																		],
																		[
																			898,
																			585
																		],
																		[
																			898,
																			452
																		],
																		[
																			975,
																			425
																		],
																		[
																			1052,
																			455
																		],
																		[
																			1071,
																			520
																		],
																		[
																			1123,
																			557
																		],
																		[
																			1166,
																			563
																		],
																		[
																			1200,
																			634
																		],
																		[
																			1169,
																			668
																		],
																		[
																			1178,
																			726
																		],
																		[
																			763,
																			726
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "154",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			1714,
																			560
																		],
																		[
																			1714,
																			1012
																		],
																		[
																			2462,
																			1012
																		],
																		[
																			2462,
																			560
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "156",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			2597,
																			735
																		],
																		[
																			2628,
																			622
																		],
																		[
																			2702,
																			514
																		],
																		[
																			2840,
																			458
																		],
																		[
																			3480,
																			458
																		],
																		[
																			3597,
																			508
																		],
																		[
																			3671,
																			603
																		],
																		[
																			3705,
																			726
																		],
																		[
																			3677,
																			868
																		],
																		[
																			3603,
																			954
																		],
																		[
																			3508,
																			991
																		],
																		[
																			3255,
																			1009
																		],
																		[
																			2858,
																			1000
																		],
																		[
																			2726,
																			972
																		],
																		[
																			2628,
																			871
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			489,
																			1569
																		],
																		[
																			178,
																			1566
																		],
																		[
																			194,
																			1458
																		],
																		[
																			212,
																			1400
																		],
																		[
																			249,
																			1397
																		],
																		[
																			298,
																			1348
																		],
																		[
																			292,
																			1308
																		],
																		[
																			357,
																			1277
																		],
																		[
																			403,
																			1302
																		],
																		[
																			489,
																			1289
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "152",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			354,
																			1985
																		],
																		[
																			471,
																			1858
																		],
																		[
																			603,
																			1843
																		],
																		[
																			788,
																			1849
																		],
																		[
																			837,
																			1822
																		],
																		[
																			898,
																			1849
																		],
																		[
																			951,
																			1812
																		],
																		[
																			1031,
																			1815
																		],
																		[
																			1049,
																			1846
																		],
																		[
																			1098,
																			1806
																		],
																		[
																			1160,
																			1834
																		],
																		[
																			1333,
																			1834
																		],
																		[
																			1333,
																			2412
																		],
																		[
																			1157,
																			2412
																		],
																		[
																			1092,
																			2434
																		],
																		[
																			1055,
																			2409
																		],
																		[
																			1028,
																			2406
																		],
																		[
																			979,
																			2455
																		],
																		[
																			908,
																			2415
																		],
																		[
																			840,
																			2449
																		],
																		[
																			772,
																			2406
																		],
																		[
																			471,
																			2406
																		],
																		[
																			351,
																			2283
																		],
																		[
																			455,
																			2218
																		],
																		[
																			480,
																			2102
																		],
																		[
																			458,
																			2031
																		],
																		[
																			406,
																			1997
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			1465,
																			1858
																		],
																		[
																			1465,
																			1714
																		],
																		[
																			1523,
																			1708
																		],
																		[
																			1588,
																			1689
																		],
																		[
																			1637,
																			1717
																		],
																		[
																			1658,
																			1785
																		],
																		[
																			1735,
																			1806
																		],
																		[
																			1757,
																			1911
																		],
																		[
																			1745,
																			1923
																		],
																		[
																			1742,
																			2003
																		],
																		[
																			1528,
																			2003
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			1517,
																			2271
																		],
																		[
																			1735,
																			2280
																		],
																		[
																			1729,
																			2375
																		],
																		[
																			1729,
																			2418
																		],
																		[
																			1680,
																			2449
																		],
																		[
																			1615,
																			2523
																		],
																		[
																			1563,
																			2566
																		],
																		[
																			1492,
																			2560
																		],
																		[
																			1452,
																			2551
																		],
																		[
																			1462,
																			2425
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			480,
																			2698
																		],
																		[
																			486,
																			2972
																		],
																		[
																			406,
																			2969
																		],
																		[
																			391,
																			2994
																		],
																		[
																			317,
																			2963
																		],
																		[
																			338,
																			2923
																		],
																		[
																			262,
																			2871
																		],
																		[
																			231,
																			2883
																		],
																		[
																			188,
																			2818
																		],
																		[
																			203,
																			2785
																		],
																		[
																			206,
																			2708
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "151",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			625,
																			3120
																		],
																		[
																			1037,
																			3111
																		],
																		[
																			1037,
																			3243
																		],
																		[
																			895,
																			3255
																		],
																		[
																			895,
																			3382
																		],
																		[
																			625,
																			3382
																		],
																		[
																			554,
																			3369
																		],
																		[
																			502,
																			3308
																		],
																		[
																			486,
																			3203
																		],
																		[
																			545,
																			3129
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			902,
																			3526
																		],
																		[
																			1173,
																			3526
																		],
																		[
																			1169,
																			3649
																		],
																		[
																			1188,
																			3708
																		],
																		[
																			1145,
																			3726
																		],
																		[
																			1058,
																			3778
																		],
																		[
																			1034,
																			3818
																		],
																		[
																			969,
																			3815
																		],
																		[
																			902,
																			3800
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			2022,
																			3391
																		],
																		[
																			2163,
																			3391
																		],
																		[
																			2163,
																			3252
																		],
																		[
																			2308,
																			3252
																		],
																		[
																			2308,
																			3655
																		],
																		[
																			2246,
																			3655
																		],
																		[
																			2209,
																			3692
																		],
																		[
																			2154,
																			3655
																		],
																		[
																			2142,
																			3612
																		],
																		[
																			2080,
																			3560
																		],
																		[
																			2040,
																			3551
																		],
																		[
																			2006,
																			3486
																		],
																		[
																			2034,
																			3443
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "151",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			2443,
																			3249
																		],
																		[
																			2723,
																			3249
																		],
																		[
																			2723,
																			3686
																		],
																		[
																			2689,
																			3763
																		],
																		[
																			2618,
																			3800
																		],
																		[
																			2548,
																			3803
																		],
																		[
																			2468,
																			3775
																		],
																		[
																			2443,
																			3677
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			3000,
																			3378
																		],
																		[
																			3132,
																			3409
																		],
																		[
																			3132,
																			3505
																		],
																		[
																			3129,
																			3542
																		],
																		[
																			3080,
																			3563
																		],
																		[
																			3018,
																			3637
																		],
																		[
																			2982,
																			3662
																		],
																		[
																			2917,
																			3662
																		],
																		[
																			2849,
																			3652
																		],
																		[
																			2868,
																			3378
																		],
																		[
																			2868,
																			3251
																		],
																		[
																			3000,
																			3251
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			3554,
																			3545
																		],
																		[
																			3702,
																			3535
																		],
																		[
																			3702,
																			3252
																		],
																		[
																			3837,
																			3252
																		],
																		[
																			3837,
																			3806
																		],
																		[
																			3782,
																			3806
																		],
																		[
																			3745,
																			3825
																		],
																		[
																			3695,
																			3812
																		],
																		[
																			3686,
																			3766
																		],
																		[
																			3643,
																			3726
																		],
																		[
																			3591,
																			3729
																		],
																		[
																			3557,
																			3662
																		],
																		[
																			3563,
																			3631
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "151",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			3985,
																			3252
																		],
																		[
																			4114,
																			3252
																		],
																		[
																			4114,
																			3391
																		],
																		[
																			4258,
																			3391
																		],
																		[
																			4258,
																			3708
																		],
																		[
																			4234,
																			3772
																		],
																		[
																			4142,
																			3809
																		],
																		[
																			4062,
																			3797
																		],
																		[
																			4003,
																			3742
																		],
																		[
																			3985,
																			3634
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "150",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			4412,
																			3397
																		],
																		[
																			4686,
																			3397
																		],
																		[
																			4671,
																			3468
																		],
																		[
																			4705,
																			3480
																		],
																		[
																			4665,
																			3582
																		],
																		[
																			4631,
																			3563
																		],
																		[
																			4569,
																			3622
																		],
																		[
																			4563,
																			3680
																		],
																		[
																			4495,
																			3720
																		],
																		[
																			4455,
																			3695
																		],
																		[
																			4412,
																			3674
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "159",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			3535,
																			1289
																		],
																		[
																			3535,
																			2997
																		],
																		[
																			5434,
																			2997
																		],
																		[
																			5434,
																			1289
																		]
																	]
																},
																{
																	"area": "157",
																	"points": [
																		[
																			3025,
																			1988
																		],
																		[
																			3025,
																			2274
																		],
																		[
																			3431,
																			2274
																		],
																		[
																			3431,
																			1988
																		]
																	]
																}
															],
															"hrefThumbnail": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/036-qdpq8-map-2-4.webp"
															}
														},
														{
															"type": "image",
															"href": {
																"type": "internal",
																"path": "adventure/BGDIA/037-wcrji-map-2-4-player.webp"
															},
															"title": "Player Version",
															"width": 6090,
															"height": 4000,
															"imageType": "mapPlayer",
															"grid": {
																"type": "square",
																"size": 131,
																"offsetX": -13,
																"offsetY": -7,
																"distance": 10
															},
															"mapParent": {
																"id": "3ca",
																"autoScale": true
															}
														}
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H13. Hall of Scholars",
									"page": 63,
									"id": "154",
									"entries": [
										"This crypt holds the bones of those who served Torm and Elturel through their knowledge instead of magic or skill at arms: teachers, engineers, sages, and other public servants. Plain stone shelves in the eleven alcoves each hold one set of remains.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 63,
											"id": "155",
											"entries": [
												"A rogue who worked in the cathedral used this room to hide her stolen goods. Behind the bones on one shelf are nine red amethysts (50 gp each) and a {@item potion of greater healing}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H14. Chamber of Torm's Council",
									"page": 63,
									"id": "156",
									"entries": [
										"A large oval table made of fine red oak fills the center of this room, and is surrounded by forty comfortable chairs. This chamber was used for meetings with individuals chosen to provide counsel to the high priests."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H15. Unknown Hero",
									"page": 63,
									"id": "157",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "158",
											"entries": [
												"This small, isolated tomb opens up at the end of a flight of broad stairs off the open central area of this level. The body of a young woman lies on the bier, a gleaming greatsword at her side."
											]
										},
										"Years before the Companion appeared in the sky, a young red dragon made life miserable for the residents of Elturel. It ate livestock, burned crops, and demanded tribute. Then one day, a scruffy-looking, unarmored woman wielding a greatsword marched up to the dragon and hacked at the beast with mighty swings. Before the stunned creature could fly away, she slew it. A startled and overwhelmed populace rushed toward the woman to thank and reward her for her bravery. As they approached, however, she fell dead. The unknown woman was laid to rest in this special place in the cathedral, and her body has never decomposed. Her nonmagical greatsword was placed at her side. Rumors suggest that she was an incarnation of Torm, or that Torm's essence filled the woman and inspired her to defeat the threat.",
										"Any devil that enters the stairs or the alcove leading to this area is struck with intense pain, imposing disadvantage on its attack rolls while it remains in this area."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H16. Main Crypts",
									"page": 63,
									"id": "159",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "15a",
											"entries": [
												"This large crypt area is presently home to over a hundred {@condition frightened} people. They cower behind sarcophagi and in alcoves, their eyes red and their cheeks stained with tears. Standing before a large font is a haggard woman, her gray hair matted with sweat. With one arm, she clutches a leather-bound tome to her breast. In the other hand, she wields a ceremonial mace that would probably shatter if it struck anything harder than a pillow."
											]
										},
										"These crypts house the remains of numerous worshipers and servants of Torm interred over the past century. Currently, more than one hundred {@condition frightened} survivors of the attack on the High Hall are in hiding here, waiting for their doom. Standing between them and death is a lone {@creature acolyte}, Pherria Jynks. With all the cathedral's priests dead and no one of higher authority to help her, she does her best to keep people calm and quiet. A simple sage and an expert on possession and exorcism, she is only just starting her career as a servant of Torm.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/038-h5py9-02-04.webp"
											},
											"title": "Tome of the Creed Resolute",
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 840
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Tome of the Creed Resolute",
											"page": 64,
											"id": "15b",
											"entries": [
												"The book in Pherria's possession is titled {@i Tome of the Creed Resolute}. Written on the first page of this book is the oath that all citizens of Elturgard take when they're old enough to read, swearing to defend Elturel body and soul. The rest of the book is filled with signatures, all of which look like they were written by the same hand. When a citizen of Elturgard places a hand on the book and recites the oath, its name magically appears in the book as a signature. The book can magically gain new pages as needed to accommodate new signatures.",
												"Pherria took the {@i Tome of the Creed Resolute} from the cathedral to safeguard it. The book is merely a record of everyone who has taken the Creed Resolute oath. Its destruction doesn't break the agreements that bind the souls of Elturel's people to Avernus."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Holy Water Fonts",
											"page": 64,
											"id": "15c",
											"entries": [
												"The two wide fonts here contain water that has been blessed by priests, enough to fill fifty flasks with holy water.",
												"A successful DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check notices odd details in the stonework around one of the fonts, which covers a secret tunnel ({@area area H17|15e|x})."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Development",
											"page": 64,
											"id": "15d",
											"entries": [
												"Pherria tells the characters that Grand Duke Ravengard took a group of guards to the city's grand cemetery to investigate the proliferation of undead in that area. As well, Ravengard was hoping that a holy relic in the cemetery chapel called the Helm of Torm's Sight might provide some awareness into Elturel's dire circumstances and possible salvation.",
												"Pherria and the others expected Ravengard back hours ago. Pherria is now worried that some terrible fate has befallen the duke. If the characters are in rough shape from their trials so far, Pherria suggests that they get a good rest, then go as quickly as possible to the cemetery to search for Ravengard and his retinue."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "H17. Escape Tunnel",
									"page": 64,
									"id": "15e",
									"entries": [
										"This tunnel, accessible from beneath one of the holy water fonts in {@area area H16|159|x}, leads from under the cathedral catacombs and away from the High Hall. The tunnel now ends at a gaping hole in the floating earthmote to which Elturel clings, some five hundred feet above the River Styx."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Grand Cemetery",
					"page": 64,
					"id": "15f",
					"entries": [
						"Before the characters search for Grand Duke Ravengard in Elturel's cemetery, they should advance to 6th level.",
						"As the characters approach the cemetery, read the boxed text below to describe its current state:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "160",
							"entries": [
								"The ten-foot-high brass fence that once surrounded Elturel's cemetery has fallen in numerous places, and a wide gate allowing access to the grounds has been torn from its hinges. Severed humanoid body parts adorn the spikes atop the fence posts. Some of the body parts wriggle and writhe as if undead, twitching in concert with the lightning flashes of the Companion.",
								"Cracked gravestones and crumbling monuments are scattered across the cemetery grounds, whose center is occupied by a chapel dedicated to Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. That once-holy structure now glows with a fetid purple radiance."
							]
						},
						"Elturel's grand cemetery was once a beautiful memorial to those who had passed into the realms beyond. Picturesque flowers and grass framed the graves, statues, and mausoleums that were once respectful reminders of the dead.",
						"When Elturel was pulled into Avernus, the cemetery's flowers wilted and its stone monuments cracked. Then {@creature Gideon Lightward|BGDIA}, a priest loyal to Zariel, used the dark energy of the Companion to raise the city's dead as his minions. At the same time, a magical effect in the ossuary level beneath the cemetery's chapel gave demons access to an intermittently operational portal they could use to enter the city. So far, only a few demons have arrived, but more will come if it's not closed soon.",
						"Grand Duke Ravengard is one of many people who know of a relic of Torm kept beneath the cemetery chapel. The Helm of Torm's Sight is said to give a worthy soul the ability to commune directly with that noble god. The duke and his guards came to the cemetery to assess the threat of its undead and to search for the relic, but were waylaid by both demons and devils. When the characters find him, Ravengard is locked in a life-and-death struggle with a demonic force in the vault of ascendance ({@area area G12|183|x}).",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Gideon Lightward",
							"page": 65,
							"id": "161",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Gideon Lightward|BGDIA} was a priest of Lathander who served Elturel and his deity proudly. Zariel saw that his fervor could be an asset to her, so she sent devils to corrupt him in the months leading up to the fall of Elturel. The devils posed as angels, offering Gideon increased power if he would dedicate himself to fighting the ever-present threat of demons.",
								"Gideon slowly gave up his sanity and free will to the devils, leaving him corrupted by Zariel and fully serving her in the months leading up to Elturel's fall. He died during the destruction wrought as the city was drawn to Avernus, but the priest rose as an undead creature. Even as an undead, Gideon remains his mistress's most loyal servant in Elturel. He sees his cause as a noble one\u2014fighting the demons whose chaos marks the end of all things. But his mind is broken and filled with hatred for those who refuse to follow his commands.",
								"Because of his obsession with destroying demons, the characters might be able to temporarily ally with Gideon to deal with the threat posed by the demon portal. Unfortunately, unless they can trick him completely, the undead priest won't let the characters leave the cemetery without a fight.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/039-637001885543345186.webp"
									},
									"title": "{@creature Gideon Lightward|BGDIA}",
									"width": 370,
									"height": 675
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Demon Portal",
							"page": 65,
							"id": "162",
							"entries": [
								"Years ago, a wise and humble acolyte of Torm named Opallita the Devout wanted to speak directly to her god. Through decades of constant prayer in the crypts beneath the chapel, she created a direct link between the ossuary and the celestial essence of Torm, as her prayers made the chamber that she prayed in sensitive to psychic connections between mortals and higher powers.",
								"When Elturel was drawn to Avernus, the link between the chamber and Torm was corrupted. This corruption was sensed by the demon lord Baphomet. Seizing upon that link, Baphomet used it as an anchor point to slowly and methodically send demons through to the city. Even now, the demon lord and his minions work to widen and strengthen the connection, hoping to eventually allow entire armies of demons into Avernus by way of Elturel."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Exploring the Cemetery",
							"page": 66,
							"id": "163",
							"entries": [
								"The section describes locations in the city's cemetery\u2014both the chapel and the areas around it (areas G1 through G6), and a subterranean ossuary level beneath the chapel (areas G7 through G12). The descriptions of the areas in this section are keyed to {@adventure map 2.5 |BGDIA|2|Map 2.5: Grand Cemetery Chapel} and {@adventure map 2.6|BGDIA|2|Map 2.6: Grand Cemetery, Ossuary level}.",
								"Several graves have been dug up, leaving pits in the earth that are 6 feet deep, 2 feet wide, and 7 feet long. A number of stone mausoleums stand vacant, their doors hanging open. The interior of a mausoleum is dimly lit when its door is open and shrouded in darkness when the door is closed.",
								"As the characters investigate the cemetery, they observe dozens of {@creature Skeleton||skeletons} and {@creature Zombie||zombies} moving about the grounds. These undead, wandering aimlessly and without direction, pose no threat to the characters on their way into the chapel. However, if the characters fail to deal with Gideon before leaving Elturel, the priest has time to coordinate the efforts of the undead, turning them into a potent threat against the city.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Approaching the Chapel",
									"page": 66,
									"id": "164",
									"entries": [
										"As the characters draw near the chapel, they are accosted by three {@creature Minotaur Skeleton||minotaur skeletons}\u2014slain servants of Baphomet stripped of flesh and animated by Gideon using the power of the Companion. These skeletons attack any intruders on the cemetery grounds.",
										"When the minotaur skeletons are disposed of and the characters get their first close look at the chapel, read the following to set the scene:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "165",
											"entries": [
												"The city's descent into Avernus has taken its toll on this once beautiful chapel. Nearly all the stained glass windows along the outside walls have been smashed, and the main doors hang open. No sign of any other creatures in or around the building can be seen."
											]
										},
										"Characters can easily force their way into the chapel through any of its broken stained-glass windows, or can enter through the main entrance at area G1 or the unlocked back door into {@area area G3|16b|x}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G1. Walk of Bravery",
									"page": 66,
									"id": "166",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters approach this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "167",
											"entries": [
												"Carved pillars resembling heroes of Elturel's past decorate this white marble patio leading into the main chapel. The dark mahogany doors are ajar, and the remains of the patio's windows have spread shattered stained glass everywhere."
											]
										},
										"With a successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill History}) check, a character can remember the name of one of the heroes represented by the carved pillars, with another name remembered for each point by which the check total exceeds 10. The names of the heroes are Agnithar, Zokel of Torm, Bertra Zomes, Yevina Druen, Ca'sar, Xivik Looren, Dopp Hoosser, Whrenk the Bloody, Laveil deNue, and VanLancer Eagletalon.",
										"A successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana} or {@skill Religion}) check made to study the carved pillars reveals that a pillar can be empowered with radiant energy if the name of the hero it represents is spoken aloud as an action. Any undead creature that moves within 5 feet of an empowered statue for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 5 ({@dice 1d10}) radiant damage.",
										"Each pillar is hollow and houses an incorporeal undead creature: four {@creature Shadow||shadows} and four {@creature Specter||specters} in total. Seven of the undead emerge from the pillars to attack any character who attempts to enter the chapel. The specter closest to the priest quarters ({@area area G5|171|x}) instead attempts to move to that area and warn Gideon of the intruders. If warned, Gideon quickly moves to {@area area G4|16e|x} and prepares to defend the chapel, while the specter returns to join the fray."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G2. Chapel of Light",
									"page": 66,
									"id": "168",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "169",
											"entries": [
												"The once-beautiful main area of the chapel is littered with broken furnishings and splintered chairs. The stained-glass windows have all been smashed, though one remains mostly intact where it's fallen whole to the floor. It depicts a representation of the god Torm placing a golden helm on the head of a man kneeling before him.",
												"Out of the shadows step four minotaur skeletons clutching bloody greataxes."
											]
										},
										"A squad of Baphomet's minotaurs attempted to overrun the chapel, but Gideon and his servants slew them. Gideon then turned them into four {@creature Minotaur Skeleton||minotaur skeletons} that attack as soon as any character enters this area. The minotaur skeletons attempt to charge characters, knocking them through the smashed windows. A creature pushed through a smashed window takes an extra 7 ({@dice 2d6}) slashing damage.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Stained-Glass Window",
											"page": 66,
											"id": "16a",
											"entries": [
												"The window lying mostly whole on the floor is cracked and has been trodden on, but the scene it shows is still recognizable. A successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill History} or {@skill Religion}) check allows a character to recognize the scene as showing Torm presenting the Helm of Torm's Sight to Lannish Fogel, a revered hero of Elturel's past and a dedicated paladin of Torm. The helm pictured in the stained glass is the relic Grand Duke Ravengard came to the chapel in search of."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G3. Chapel of Mourning",
									"page": 66,
									"id": "16b",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "16c",
											"entries": [
												"The smashed remnants of fine furniture and the remains of stained-glass windows are strewn across this area. Sections of one huge stained-glass window remain intact, enough so that its subject can still be made out. The window once portrayed Lathander standing amid fallen soldiers, holding his hands aloft as the spirits of the dead rise to stand at his side."
											]
										},
										"This area of the chapel was used for funeral services for esteemed political and military leaders of Elturel.",
										"If a creature kneels before the damaged window and says a prayer to Lathander, then succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma ({@skill Religion}) check made to determine the sincerity and strength of the prayer, a glowing weapon appears before the supplicant. Devout followers of Lathander succeed on the check automatically.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 67,
											"id": "16d",
											"entries": [
												"The weapon that appears is a {@item +2 weapon}. This item takes the form of whatever weapon the character is wielding or wearing at the time, and would be most useful to the supplicant in battle. Only one such weapon can be gained by the characters in this way."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G4. Vestment Chamber",
									"page": 67,
									"id": "16e",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "16f",
											"entries": [
												"Three curtained archways connect this chamber to the other areas of the chapel. Shattered wardrobes and dressing tables, as well as a number of smashed mirrors, suggest that this was once where priests prepared for their daily services. Spiral stairs leading down are guarded by two creatures with insectoid features. Each one is armed with a wicked trident."
											]
										},
										"The stairs lead down into the workshop ({@area area G7|177|x}) on the ossuary level. Two {@creature Mezzoloth||mezzoloths} guard the stairs. {@creature Gideon Lightward|BGDIA} is also present here if one of his undead servants warned him of the characters' intrusion. Otherwise, the characters encounter Gideon in {@area area G5|171|x}.",
										{
											"type": "gallery",
											"images": [
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/040-422qk-map-2-5.webp"
													},
													"title": "Map 2.5: Grand Cemetery Chapel",
													"width": 4000,
													"height": 5236,
													"imageType": "map",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 132,
														"offsetX": -8,
														"offsetY": -38
													},
													"id": "3cb",
													"mapRegions": [
														{
															"area": "16b",
															"points": [
																[
																	415,
																	1908
																],
																[
																	290,
																	1783
																],
																[
																	290,
																	1006
																],
																[
																	402,
																	894
																],
																[
																	1542,
																	894
																],
																[
																	1690,
																	1042
																],
																[
																	1705,
																	1255
																],
																[
																	1520,
																	1298
																],
																[
																	1369,
																	1345
																],
																[
																	1286,
																	1391
																],
																[
																	1105,
																	1609
																],
																[
																	1080,
																	1689
																],
																[
																	1034,
																	1908
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "16e",
															"points": [
																[
																	1123,
																	1698
																],
																[
																	1342,
																	1409
																],
																[
																	1480,
																	1357
																],
																[
																	1643,
																	1314
																],
																[
																	1822,
																	1295
																],
																[
																	1960,
																	1311
																],
																[
																	2129,
																	1437
																],
																[
																	2271,
																	1677
																],
																[
																	2308,
																	1837
																],
																[
																	2314,
																	2055
																],
																[
																	2292,
																	2228
																],
																[
																	2212,
																	2360
																],
																[
																	1935,
																	2511
																],
																[
																	1748,
																	2545
																],
																[
																	1526,
																	2529
																],
																[
																	1317,
																	2455
																],
																[
																	1194,
																	2351
																],
																[
																	1114,
																	2178
																],
																[
																	1089,
																	1948
																],
																[
																	1102,
																	1751
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "174",
															"points": [
																[
																	246,
																	2277
																],
																[
																	246,
																	3409
																],
																[
																	991,
																	3409
																],
																[
																	991,
																	2277
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "171",
															"points": [
																[
																	283,
																	3785
																],
																[
																	408,
																	3660
																],
																[
																	920,
																	3660
																],
																[
																	1038,
																	3778
																],
																[
																	1038,
																	4286
																],
																[
																	916,
																	4408
																],
																[
																	391,
																	4408
																],
																[
																	283,
																	4291
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "168",
															"points": [
																[
																	1723,
																	2600
																],
																[
																	1929,
																	2548
																],
																[
																	2228,
																	2403
																],
																[
																	2317,
																	2268
																],
																[
																	2735,
																	2268
																],
																[
																	2735,
																	4018
																],
																[
																	2607,
																	4146
																],
																[
																	1837,
																	4146
																],
																[
																	1728,
																	4037
																],
																[
																	1728,
																	3757
																],
																[
																	1601,
																	3630
																],
																[
																	1601,
																	2991
																],
																[
																	1723,
																	2856
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "166",
															"points": [
																[
																	2778,
																	4034
																],
																[
																	3018,
																	4034
																],
																[
																	3018,
																	3763
																],
																[
																	3283,
																	3523
																],
																[
																	3283,
																	3003
																],
																[
																	3022,
																	2742
																],
																[
																	3022,
																	2095
																],
																[
																	3278,
																	2095
																],
																[
																	3278,
																	1523
																],
																[
																	3028,
																	1523
																],
																[
																	3028,
																	1025
																],
																[
																	2778,
																	1025
																]
															]
														}
													],
													"hrefThumbnail": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/040-422qk-map-2-5.webp"
													}
												},
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/041-oalyz-map-2-5-player.webp"
													},
													"title": "Player Version",
													"width": 4000,
													"height": 5429,
													"imageType": "mapPlayer",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 131,
														"offsetX": 1,
														"offsetY": 3
													},
													"mapParent": {
														"id": "3cb",
														"autoScale": true
													}
												}
											]
										},
										"Just as the characters are about to face off against the fiends, a cacophony erupts from below, and six creatures rush up the stairs: a fiendish {@creature giant scorpion} trailed by five {@creature Dretch||dretches}. In response, the mezzoloths (and Gideon, if present) ignore the characters completely, focusing all their attacks on the scorpion and the demons. If Gideon is present and the characters refrain from attacking him after the first round or two, they have advantage on checks to parley with him after the battle. Otherwise, they have disadvantage on those checks.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Parley",
											"page": 67,
											"id": "170",
											"entries": [
												"If Gideon is present, he lowers his weapon after all the demonic creatures are dead. If he is not here at the start of the fight, he arrives from his quarters during the battle or after the demons are defeated. He speaks to the characters, thanking them for any assistance in defeating the demonic intruders. He makes it clear that his singular focus is stopping the demonic incursion of Elturel\u2014at all costs.",
												"If the characters ask about Ravengard, Gideon tells them that an armed group of humans entered the ossuary level earlier. Since they were not demons, he allowed them to pass, but with demons now coming from that area, Gideon angrily assumes that the humans are in league with the demons.",
												"A successful DC 12 Charisma ({@skill Deception} or {@skill Persuasion}) check allows the characters to earn Gideon's trust. If they can convince him that they are here only to slay demons, he allows them to enter the crypt\u2014and even provides them with the service of one {@creature mezzoloth} if either of those creatures survived. Gideon doesn't accompany the characters, wanting to guard the chapel against demon attacks."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G5. Gideon's Quarters",
									"page": 67,
									"id": "171",
									"entries": [
										"This small building was {@creature Gideon Lightward|BGDIA}'s living quarters when he oversaw the chapel and the maintenance of the cemetery. Read the following boxed text aloud when the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "172",
											"entries": [
												"This simple building contains a bed, a desk, a dresser, a table, and chairs. Much of the furniture has been destroyed, with decorations and other items strewn haphazardly around the room, including holy symbols of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. A large tome appears to have survived the destruction. It sits open at the center of the partially collapsed desk."
											]
										},
										"See {@area area G4|16e|x} for information on roleplaying Gideon if the characters first encounter him here.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Gideon's Testament",
											"page": 67,
											"id": "173",
											"entries": [
												"The book is a testament written by Gideon in the months leading up to Elturel's fall. It pontificates about the evil of demons, instructing the reader to be ever vigilant against their incursions, and expounding that the demonic threat must be defeated at all costs. It praises the devils that stoically stand against the unending demonic tide, while chastising Helm, Torm, Tyr, Lathander, and their angelic servitors for not doing the same. Gideon has nothing but praise for Zariel's efforts to end the demonic threat. Any character who spends 10 minutes poring over the tome can conclude, with a successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check, that it's the work of a madman.",
												"Any character who continues to read the book beyond that basic level of understanding must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed check, the character is cursed with a particularly intense hatred of demons. A creature cursed in this way takes 5 ({@dice 1d10}) psychic damage if it can see any demon within 60 feet of it and ends its turn not having attempted to attack a demon. This curse can be removed with a {@spell remove curse} spell or similar magic. At the end of each long rest, a cursed creature can make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G6. Undead Pit",
									"page": 68,
									"id": "174",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "175",
											"entries": [
												"The path around the chapel has been sundered by a deep hole in the ground, filled with a putrid purple mist. The haze filling the hole blocks any sense of how deep it might be, or of what might lie within."
											]
										},
										"Gideon creates his undead servants in this 30-foot-deep pit, which was formed when a piece of the meteor that struck the High Hall splintered off.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Necromantic Mist",
											"page": 68,
											"id": "176",
											"entries": [
												"The mist is formed by necromantic energy emitted from the corrupted Companion. A successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check made to study the mist reveals that it pulsates in sync with the crackling energy of the corrupted Companion.",
												"Any creature that enters the mist for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 5 ({@dice 1d10}) necrotic damage. Climbing the sides of the pit without equipment requires a successful DC 10 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
												"Whenever Gideon directs his minions to toss a dead body into the pit, an undead creature crawls forth one hour later. Newly created undead patiently wander the cemetery grounds until Gideon gives them orders.",
												"One undead creature appears during the time the characters investigate the pit, and more can appear if they leave this area, then return again while Gideon is still at large. Use the Undead Creation table to determine what kind of undead creature is created.",
												{
													"type": "table",
													"caption": "Undead Creation",
													"colLabels": [
														"d20",
														"Undead"
													],
													"colStyles": [
														"col-6 text-center",
														"col-6 text-center"
													],
													"rows": [
														[
															"1\u20134",
															"{@creature Skeleton}"
														],
														[
															"5\u20137",
															"{@creature Zombie}"
														],
														[
															"8\u201310",
															"{@creature Shadow}"
														],
														[
															"11\u201312",
															"{@creature Specter}"
														],
														[
															"13\u201315",
															"{@creature Ghoul}"
														],
														[
															"16\u201317",
															"{@creature Ghast}"
														],
														[
															"18\u201319",
															"{@creature Wight}"
														],
														[
															"20",
															"{@creature Wraith}"
														]
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G7. Workshop",
									"page": 68,
									"id": "177",
									"entries": [
										"The stairs from {@area area G4|16e|x} curl down to an unlocked door and a workshop beyond. Read the following boxed text when the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "178",
											"entries": [
												"This workshop appears to be where priests and acolytes prepared dead bodies for final interment. The place has been ransacked, with knives, saws, piping, and tubes littering the floor. Acid and embalming fluid pool everywhere, amid a field of shattered flasks and jars."
											]
										},
										"The double door to the north leads to stairs that descend to areas {@area G8|17a|x}, {@area G9|17c|x}, and {@area G11|180|x}.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Tracks",
											"page": 68,
											"id": "179",
											"entries": [
												"A successful DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) check reveals the tracks of multiple demons in the detritus spread across the floor. Amid those tracks, signs can be seen of a single group of booted humans moving down the stairs. These bootprints, trailing embalming fluid, lead all the way to {@area area G11|180|x}, then back toward {@area area G12|183|x}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G8. Ossuary of the Faithful",
									"page": 68,
									"id": "17a",
									"entries": [
										"Those who could not afford the expense of a cemetery plot above ground were respectfully laid to rest in this area and area G9. Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "17b",
											"entries": [
												"The walls of this chamber are lined with funerary shelves, each set with dusty humanoid bones. Relics and holy symbols of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr have been set prominently on a number of shelves."
											]
										},
										"The bones marked by holy symbols are the remains of honored priests and acolytes who worked in the chapel, and who requested to take their final rest alongside the poor they served.",
										"The holy symbols in this area once channeled the blessings of their gods, but that trace magic has been corrupted by the passage of Elturel to Avernus, and by the presence of the abyssal portal in {@area area G12|183|x}. If any holy symbol is touched, or if any creature not a fiend or undead lingers in this area for more than 1 minute, all the holy symbols unleash a pulse of necrotic power. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 ({@dice 4d8}) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This hazard resets in 1 hour as long as the portal in {@area area G12|183|x} is active."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G9. Main Ossuary",
									"page": 68,
									"id": "17c",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "gallery",
											"images": [
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/042-z24lv-map-2-6.webp"
													},
													"title": "Map 2.6: Grand Cemetery, Ossuary level",
													"width": 4000,
													"height": 5429,
													"imageType": "map",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 116,
														"offsetX": -46,
														"offsetY": -44
													},
													"id": "3cc",
													"mapRegions": [
														{
															"area": "183",
															"points": [
																[
																	2689,
																	763
																],
																[
																	2689,
																	1797
																],
																[
																	3446,
																	1797
																],
																[
																	3446,
																	763
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "17c",
															"points": [
																[
																	409,
																	1289
																],
																[
																	409,
																	5022
																],
																[
																	954,
																	5022
																],
																[
																	954,
																	1289
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "17e",
															"points": [
																[
																	1308,
																	2335
																],
																[
																	1308,
																	3123
																],
																[
																	2323,
																	3123
																],
																[
																	2323,
																	2335
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "17a",
															"points": [
																[
																	1009,
																	3369
																],
																[
																	1009,
																	5157
																],
																[
																	2074,
																	5157
																],
																[
																	2074,
																	3369
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "177",
															"points": [
																[
																	2455,
																	4655
																],
																[
																	2455,
																	5326
																],
																[
																	3498,
																	5326
																],
																[
																	3498,
																	4655
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "180",
															"points": [
																[
																	2348,
																	1868
																],
																[
																	2348,
																	3612
																],
																[
																	3360,
																	3612
																],
																[
																	3360,
																	1868
																]
															]
														}
													],
													"hrefThumbnail": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/042-z24lv-map-2-6.webp"
													}
												},
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/043-cbi17-map-2-6-player.webp"
													},
													"title": "Player Version",
													"width": 4000,
													"height": 5429,
													"imageType": "mapPlayer",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 116,
														"offsetX": -47,
														"offsetY": -48
													},
													"mapParent": {
														"id": "3cc"
													}
												}
											]
										},
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "17d",
											"entries": [
												"This huge chamber is lined by funerary shelves along the stone walls above six bare daises, creating a display of dusty humanoid bones rising from floor to ceiling."
											]
										},
										"A {@creature quasit} named Ophurkh was the first demon to come through the portal in {@area area G12|183|x}, acting as a scout. A steadfast servant of Baphomet, it remains in this area to provide instructions for other demons as they arrive through the portal and prepare to enter Elturel.",
										"Ophurkh remains {@condition invisible} and keeps quiet as the characters pass through this area. If it is able to elude notice, it follows the characters, waiting for a chance to use its Scare ability to try to drive them from this level. If unsuccessful, it goes {@condition invisible} again, then waits and attacks alongside the minotaurs that emerge from the portal when the characters reach {@area area G12|183|x}.",
										"If captured, the self-serving quasit can be coerced into providing information about the portal and the plans of its demonic masters (see \"{@area Demon Portal|162|x}\") with a successful DC 10 Charisma ({@skill Intimidation}) check."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G10. Meditation Chamber",
									"page": 69,
									"id": "17e",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "17f",
											"entries": [
												"This area is set with cushions and low stools of brown oak. Above an empty dais, the wall is covered with a mosaic shaped from colored chips of bone, artfully arranged to depict scenes of funerals, the migration of souls, and the celestial realms. Lettering along the bottom of the mosaic reads: \"Contemplate life. Death comes soon enough.\""
											]
										},
										"Any character with proficiency in {@skill Religion} recognizes this area as one in which priests dedicated to dealing with the dead would meditate to help them endure the dark nature of their work."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G11. Vault of Honor",
									"page": 69,
									"id": "180",
									"entries": [
										"This vault once housed the Helm of Torm's Sight, but no longer. Read the following boxed text to the players as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "181",
											"entries": [
												"This rubble-strewn vault contains five marble statues atop daises. Four of the statues are unrecognizable, as their features have been badly marred by rock fallen from the cracked ceiling. The fifth is a finely carved statue of a kneeling man."
											]
										},
										"The recognizable statue depicts Lannish Fogel, as seen in the stained-glass window in {@area area G2|168|x}. Any characters who saw the window recognize that the two depictions are the same man. If none of the characters recognized Lannish Fogel in {@area area G2|168|x}, a successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill History} or {@skill Religion}) check allows a character to recognize the statue.",
										"Any inspection of the statue reveals that its head has been sculpted as if it was meant to wear a separate helm, but no such helm is present.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Tracks",
											"page": 69,
											"id": "182",
											"entries": [
												"A successful DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) check reveals more demonic tracks passing through this area, as well as the tracks of booted humans leading on to area G12."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "G12. Vault of Ascendance",
									"page": 69,
									"id": "183",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following as the characters enter this area:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "184",
											"entries": [
												"A shallow meditation pool fills this room, set off from a broad landing edged by a low wrought-iron railing. Wondrous frescoes along the walls depict souls gaining the blessings of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. The frescoes on one wall have been twisted into abyssal forms surrounding a shimmering portal.",
												"The pool is littered with the mutilated bodies of humans wearing the uniforms of Baldur's Gate and Elturel. The swirling water of the pool roils with shadow, and is shot through with patches of black ichor where demons have fallen here. An armored man with a shield slung over his back crouches among the bodies, writhing in pain. His eyes are closed, and his hands clutch at a gold helm on his head as if trying in vain to claw it off. Unintelligible words spill from his lips, some sounding saintly and solemn, while others resonate with a cruel hissing."
											]
										},
										"This chamber was a place for the most devout of Torm's followers to touch the mind of their god in search of answers and solace. The water in the pool is only 1 foot deep. A benign magical effect within the pool causes the water to flow slowly in a clockwise direction. Though tainted with abyssal power, the water presents no hazard to creatures that enter it, and is not {@quickref difficult terrain||3}.",
										"The east wall of this area is a roiling field of abyssal energy, marking the portal where Baphomet has used this area's corrupted link to Torm to connect the Abyss to Avernus, by way of Elturel.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/044-637000773572596171.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}",
											"width": 380,
											"height": 566
										},
										"{@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} found the Helm of Torm's Sight in {@area area G11|180|x} and donned it. The helm is a nonmagical item through which Torm can send visions. Ravengard was beginning to establish a connection with Torm when a disturbance in this room brought him and his guards into combat with demonic creatures sent through the portal by Baphomet. Ravengard was subjected to a psychic attack that drew his mind into a connection with Baphomet. Now the helm can't be removed, and he is locked in a mental battle with the demon lord. Ravengard is {@condition stunned} until the helm is removed. The helm can't be removed from him while he is alive\u2014at least, not yet.",
										"As the characters observe the struggle taking place within Ravengard, three wild-eyed {@creature Minotaur||minotaurs} come through the portal. They charge into battle with the characters but avoid Ravengard because of the demonic presence they feel within him.",
										"Any character who understands Celestial or Abyssal can recognize some of the words escaping Ravengard's lips. He alternates between the two languages as both Torm and Baphomet speak through him. A successful DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana} or {@skill Religion}) check reveals that the psychic struggle taking place within Ravengard's mind is between some divine higher power and a terrible, demonic entity. The power of the portal is now tied into the helm, and to Ravengard. The same check also reveals that no simple spell can break this hold\u2014but that a more involved ritual might free Ravengard and shut down the portal by allowing the power of Torm to sanctify this area once more.",
										"Characters who spoke to Pherria back at the cathedral remember that she was a sage who specialized in exorcism and possession. As such, she might be able to help.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 70,
											"id": "185",
											"entries": [
												"Searching the bodies of the fallen guards turns up three wet but usable {@item Spell Scroll||spell scrolls} ({@spell mass healing word}, {@spell remove curse}, and {@spell tongues}).",
												"In addition to the Helm of Torm's Sight, Ravengard wears a bloodied suit of {@item plate armor|phb} emblazoned with the emblem of the Flaming Fist. His {@item shield|phb}, which also bears this emblem, is slung over his back. The grand duke's {@item +1 longsword} is sheathed at his side."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Leaving the Chapel",
									"page": 70,
									"id": "186",
									"entries": [
										"Once the characters defeat the minotaurs, they can carry Ravengard back to the High Hall. If Gideon has not been destroyed, he might question the characters as they leave the chapel or the cemetery. See {@area area G4|16e|x} for information on roleplaying Gideon.",
										"Hearing Ravengard mumbling in Abyssal, Gideon might need convincing that Ravengard is not some sort of demon or demonic ally. A good explanation\u2014that Ravengard is actually a great demon hunter, that he has trapped a demon the characters plan to kill, and so forth\u2014alongside a successful DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Deception} or {@skill Persuasion}) check prompts Gideon to let them pass."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Escaping the Siege",
					"page": 71,
					"id": "187",
					"entries": [
						"When the characters arrive back at the High Hall cathedral with Grand Duke Ravengard in tow, they can consult with Pherria to find a way to remove the Helm of Torm's Sight without killing Ravengard. Doing so involves a ritual that the characters can help carry out. If the ritual is successful, the {@condition stunned} condition ends on Ravengard, and he recalls the visions he experienced that hint at how to return Elturel to Faerûn. These visions trigger some of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories. She sees a path forward, but it involves the characters leaving the city to brave the terrible landscape of Avernus.",
						"Characters wishing to leave Elturel must find a way to avoid the River Styx and the host of devils and demons waging war below the city. Only then can the characters make their way to the outpost known as Fort Knucklebone, where the next leg of their adventure starts (as described in {@area chapter 3|1b3|x}).",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Return to the Cathedral",
							"page": 71,
							"id": "188",
							"entries": [
								"The characters can make their way back to the relative safety of the cathedral in the High Hall. If they helped defeat the devils that attempted to take the cathedral earlier, the trip should be uneventful. Alternatively, to keep the tension high, you can roll for random encounters in the western portion of the city (see \"{@area More Encounters in Elturel|11a|x}\"). An encounter or two while the characters protect Duke Ravengard could make for memorable play."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ritual of Returning",
							"page": 71,
							"id": "189",
							"entries": [
								"Upon returning to the High Hall cathedral with {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}, the characters are greeted by Pherria Jynks and the druid Seltern Obranch, who rush to aid them in getting the grand duke to a safe resting place. If the characters failed to save the people in the cathedral, they must find a safe place to rest or forge ahead without assistance. They can search the rest of the city for secure locations, or look for other survivors who might have skills or information that can assist them. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} might also regain memories that grant her insight into where to go next.",
								"If the characters failed to ascertain the story behind Ravengard's {@condition stunned} state, Pherria can assist them in putting things together. Working with the acolyte, the characters (especially those who have proficiency in {@skill Arcana} and {@skill Religion}) determine how to move forward. The demonic essence intertwined with Torm's presence by way of the helm can be cast out with the proper ritual.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ritual Preparations",
									"page": 71,
									"id": "18a",
									"entries": [
										"Pherria outlines what's needed for the ritual:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"The altar of Torm in {@area area H6|14a|x} must be cleansed and the ritual performed before it. The altar of Torm can be restored as described in {@area area H6|14a|x}. Pherria suggests that the characters splash the altar with holy water taken from the font in {@area area H16|159|x}.",
												"A creature standing within 5 feet of the restored altar must recite a special prayer to Torm. Only this prayer can break evil's hold on Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA}'s mind.",
												"A powerful symbol of courage and self-sacrifice is needed to empower the ritual. Pherria suggests the greatsword of the Unknown Hero in {@area area H15|157|x}. (The characters can use a different object that symbolizes courage and self-sacrifice, at your discretion.)"
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Performing the Prayer",
									"page": 71,
									"id": "18b",
									"entries": [
										"Pherria warns the characters that she has never attempted this particular ritual before, and that they should be ready to step in and help her\u2014or to fight off any evil forces that might try to disrupt the process.",
										"The ritual prayer takes 30 seconds to recite. Pherria knows the prayer by heart, but another creature can invoke a suitable prayer with a successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Religion}) check. While the prayer is being spoken, one character must spend the next 5 rounds gently resting the sword of the Unknown Hero on the Helm of Torm's Sight. While the prayer is being spoken, the one holding the sword must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of their turns or take 10 ({@dice 3d6}) force damage.",
										"Immediately after the character holding the sword makes their first saving throw, the potent magic of the ritual attracts demonic spirits loyal to Baphomet, which emerge from the helm as two {@creature Will-o'-Wisp||will-o'-wisps} that attempt to disrupt the ritual by attacking the individuals reciting the prayer and holding the sword.",
										"When the character holding the sword makes the last saving throw, the ritual is complete. The will-o'-wisps are banished, and Ravengard comes to his senses.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Helm of Torm's Sight",
											"page": 71,
											"id": "18c",
											"entries": [
												"You can simplify the encounter with {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} by allowing the characters to remove the Helm of Torm's Sight from his head, whereupon Ravengard quickly regains his senses. At that point, he can tell them about his visions, which provide the information they need and trigger {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories. He then lets them plot a path forward in their quest to save Elturel.",
												"Alternatively, Ravengard can fall {@condition unconscious} when the helm is removed, even as the character who removes it feels an almost overwhelming urge to don it. A character who dons the helm feels at peace and sees visions of troops in gleaming armor marching across a grassy plain with military precision. In the next breath, the character sees massive groups of disfigured monsters loping across a blighted landscape, tearing at screaming enemies. The character wearing the helm can't remove it until they receive a {@spell bless} spell from a worshiper of Torm. (Pherria fits this description.) In the meantime, as the adventuring party travels back to the cathedral with the still-{@condition unconscious} Ravengard, the character wearing the helm experiences the same visions that Ravengard was having, as described in \"{@area The Path Forward|18d|x}\". Ravengard then awakens after 1 hour, no worse for wear."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Path Forward",
							"page": 72,
							"id": "18d",
							"entries": [
								"With the forces of evil defeated, Grand Duke Ravengard regains his faculties and can relay the story of the spirit journey he undertook while wearing the Helm of Torm's Sight. Torm has shown him a path forward, but the visions were clouded and warped by the demonic essence channeled through the portal. Ravengard shares the following information:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"In his spirit journey, Ravengard saw a bloodied woman in armor\u2014a soldier wearing the colors and crest of Elturel\u2014grasping a longsword fit for an angel. Fresh blood streamed from a nasty cut on the woman's cheek.",
										"Flying next to the woman was a small, golden elephant with rapidly fluttering wings. (If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is still with the party, Ravengard identifies her as the creature he saw in his vision.)",
										"As an enormous, loping demon threatened to devour the woman, she plunged the sword into the ground while the winged elephant made a trumpet sound with its trunk. The demon was hurled back as an alabaster palace rose up around the sword. The winged elephant fled and took to the red sky of Avernus, where it watched as a bloody scab grew up from the ground to engulf the palace and the enormous demon.",
										"The winged elephant fled and wandered in a delirium before coming upon two odd, birdlike humanoids dressed in patchwork armor and standing next to a strange infernal vehicle. The bird creatures were equipped with odd weapons and tools."
									]
								},
								"As Ravengard recounts the vision, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} remembers helping one of the Hellriders plant Zariel's sword in the ground and raise an impenetrable fortress around it. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} remembers the Hellrider's name if that memory has already been unlocked (see the {@area Lulu's Memories table|10d|x}). Both Ravengard and the hollyphant are convinced that the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} is the key to saving Elturel. Any character who dons the Helm of Torm's Sight and experiences Torm's vision feels the same way.",
								"Ravengard remembers nothing more of his vision, but {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} flaps her wings in excitement at the final part of his story as she remembers meeting a pair of \"bird folk\" named {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA}. Based on descriptions furnished by {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and Ravengard, the characters can conclude that {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} are kenku. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} remembers that the kenku took her to a junkyard called Fort Knucklebone, where they built and repaired infernal vehicles designed to move quickly across the blasted wastelands of Avernus. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} doesn't remember who ran the fort or what other creatures she met there.",
								"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} quickly flies to the top of the cathedral and looks out over the blasted landscape of Avernus below Elturel. After trumpeting loudly, she returns to report that she can see Fort Knucklebone, and estimates it to be no more than ten miles away.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Next Moves",
									"page": 72,
									"id": "18e",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} insists on remaining in Elturel to help organize survivors to fight off the devils, demons, and undead scouring the city. Though he's willing to die fighting in Elturel's defense, it's up to the characters to help {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} find the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}.",
										"If she's still alive, Reya Mantlemorn decides to stay in Elturel and help Ravengard protect the city, fighting back tears as she bids farewell to the characters."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Leaving Elturel",
							"page": 72,
							"id": "18f",
							"entries": [
								"Inventive characters have a number of different options to reach the surface of Avernus from Elturel, but none of those options is without risk.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Climbing Down",
									"page": 72,
									"id": "190",
									"entries": [
										"The jagged posts and enormous chains of infernal iron that hold Elturel are the only physical connection between the city and the ground. Each chain link is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, and is formed of a welded loop of infernal iron that is 5 feet thick. See {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|7} for more information on breaking these infernal chains.",
										"The chain links are covered in 1-foot-long iron barbs that make them relatively easy to move along. The posts of infernal iron that anchor Elturel to the ground likewise offer numerous handholds for climbing. If the characters navigate the chains and the posts carefully, no ability checks are needed to prevent a fall while climbing across the chains or descending the posts at normal speed. Any character who tries to move or climb more quickly during a turn must succeed on a DC 10 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check or fall.",
										"Fiendish magic within the posts and chains makes prolonged contact with them unbearable. Once per minute, any creature in contact with the infernal iron must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 ({@dice 3d6}) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails this saving throw must then succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or slip from the chain or post and fall.",
										"Any character within reach of a falling creature can, with a successful DC 10 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check, grab the falling creature and swing it back onto the chain, provided the falling creature is light enough for the character to carry.",
										"Creatures that fall from Elturel or one of the chains take damage from the fall and land in the Styx (see \"{@area River Styx|1a3|x}\" for the river's effects). Those that fall off one of the anchoring posts take damage from the fall and land amid clashing devils and demons, where they are brutally killed if they survived the fall."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Flying",
									"page": 72,
									"id": "191",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has the ability to fly, and one or more characters might also be able to do so. Whether they possess wings or have access to magic such as a {@spell fly} spell or a {@item potion of flying}, characters who take to the air can easily get clear of Elturel. However, flying creatures might attract the attention of winged devils and demons in the area, at your discretion."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Improvised Equipment",
									"page": 73,
									"id": "192",
									"entries": [
										"Enterprising and creative players might want their characters to find or create equipment to assist them in their descent. Parachutes, gliders, and hot-air balloons are just a few of the off-the-wall ideas players might come up with. If they do, be prepared to improvise. Raw materials for putting together such equipment can be found in the shops and warehouses of Elturel.",
										"Once the characters have collected the necessary resources, you can decide which ability checks might come into play as they create their improvised equipment\u2014and to determine how well that equipment works. Use the following guidelines:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"A successful DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check allows a character to figure out the mechanical setup of a piece of equipment.",
												"A successful DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check spots any flaws in construction.",
												"A successful DC 10 Dexterity check and an appropriate tool proficiency can guide the delicate construction or adjustment of a piece of improvised gear."
											]
										},
										"Keep in mind any backgrounds or tool proficiencies the characters might have that could be useful in the creation of improvised equipment.",
										"Unless the characters completely botch their ability checks to the point where creating the intended piece of improvised equipment is clearly impossible, you should allow such equipment to work as intended, even if not perfectly. For added drama, allow the characters to get most of the way to safety, then throw in a complication when they are within 50 feet of the ground. Call for more ability checks like the ones above as the characters attempt to quickly spot and fix problems\u2014or call for Dexterity saving throws if their improvised equipment fails and sends them hurtling toward the ground."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Battle of Elturel",
							"page": 73,
							"id": "193",
							"entries": [
								"Legions of devils camped on the shores of the River Styx below Elturel are the biggest threats for characters attempting to flee the city. Characters who fly, glide, or balloon over the siege can avoid the main body of the devils' army, but come under attack by forces to the rear. Adjust the boxed text below accordingly as you read it to the players to set the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "194",
									"entries": [
										"Armored legions of devils encircle the enormous posts of infernal iron that anchor Elturel to the rocky ground. Squads of demons fighting ten deep in some places hurl themselves into the devils' ranks. Most of those abyssal troops are lowly manes and dretches, who die quickly in vain attempts to drag down devils so that stronger demons behind them can strike killing blows.",
										"A dark river cuts a path across the blasted landscape and flows directly beneath the city. Floating on the river are demonic barges being assailed by squadrons of winged devils under the command of a terrifying pit fiend wearing an eyeless helm and clutching a battle standard."
									]
								},
								"The demons and the devils are too focused on one another to concern themselves with adventurers who keep their distance. The devils are commanded by Lucille, Zariel's most loyal {@creature pit fiend}. If the characters come to Lucille's attention, the pit fiend sends twelve {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} to dispose of them.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/045-vspmo-02-05.webp"
									},
									"width": 753,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"Characters who hurl themselves into the fiendish conflict are as good as dead, but circumstances might necessitate one or more characters moving unseen through the ranks of devils and hordes of demons. Such a plan might include causing a distraction that moves the battle in a different direction, waiting for a demon surge (or creating one) to disturb the stalemate enough to sneak through, or magical disguises that would allow characters to pass themselves off as fiends of a sort. Particularly clever plans should be allowed to automatically succeed. Otherwise, you can call for ability checks to determine how well a plan is executed; use the guidelines in the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} to set appropriate DCs for these checks. In the event of total failure, or no plan at all, the characters might end up having to fight their way through the fiendish battle, which is no small task.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"id": "195",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 73,
											"id": "196",
											"entries": [
												"Lucille wears a {@item helm of devil command|BGDIA} and carries a {@item battle standard of infernal power|BGDIA} (see {@adventure appendix C|BGDIA|12} for descriptions of these magic items), neither of which the pit fiend gives up willingly."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Development",
											"page": 73,
											"id": "197",
											"entries": [
												"The characters encounter Lucille again at the end of the adventure when they return to liberate Elturel (see \"{@adventure Endgame in Elturel|BGDIA|2|Endgame in Elturel}\")."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "To Fort Knucklebone!",
							"page": 73,
							"id": "198",
							"entries": [
								"Once they escape from Elturel, the characters must begin the ten-mile trek to Fort Knucklebone. If the characters move quickly and carefully, they can make the journey without running into any more trouble. Let them advance to 7th level before beginning {@adventure chapter 3|BGDIA|3}."
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 3: Avernus",
			"page": 74,
			"id": "199",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/046-ugtxa-03-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 3200,
					"height": 2048
				},
				"Guided by {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} the hollyphant and discoveries made in Elturel, the characters trek across Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, to recover the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} and free Elturel from its chains. Navigating the wastelands of Avernus might seem like a difficult proposition, but thankfully the characters have the map given to them by {@creature Sylvira Savikas|BGDIA} in {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}. For more information on how to use the Avernus poster map, see \"{@area Using the Poster Map|1b0|x}\".",
				"Elturel and Fort Knucklebone aren't marked on the poster map, as Elturel was not present when the map was drawn, and the cartographer who drew the map never encountered Fort Knucklebone. You can situate Elturel anywhere along the River Styx, and Fort Knucklebone anywhere within ten miles of Elturel.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Running This Chapter",
					"page": 74,
					"id": "19a",
					"entries": [
						"This chapter opens with information about Avernus that you need to run the encounters and adventure locations that follow.",
						"The story picks up where it left off in {@adventure chapter 2|BGDIA|2}, with the characters embarking on a quest to save Elturel while {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} and Reya Mantlemorn stay behind to organize survivors and defend the city. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} guides the characters to Fort Knucklebone, home to a pair of kenku junk scavengers named {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA}, whom {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} thinks can provide assistance. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, the night hag who runs the fort, oversees the construction and repair of infernal war machines. If the characters agree to make a deal with the night hag, they can acquire one or more of these vehicles. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} can also help {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} unlock some of her forgotten memories.",
						"From Fort Knucklebone, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} guides the characters to the place where she thinks the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} is hidden: Haruman's Hill. There, they meet Jander Sunstar, a vampire with some information. They also meet Jander's torturer, Haruman\u2014a fallen Hellrider and one of Zariel's infernal generals. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} eventually realizes she's made a grave mistake and led the characters to the wrong place. She suggests two possible paths going forward: the {@adventure Path of Demons|BGDIA|4} and the {@adventure Path of Devils|BGDIA|5}. Each path features a number of locations across Avernus that the characters must visit in sequence to learn where Zariel's sword is hidden.",
						"At any time during their exploration of Avernus, the characters and {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} might encounter the Wandering Emporium, a marketplace that wanders Avernus on the backs of giant infernal war machines. The Wandering Emporium provides a good place for the characters to rest and gather supplies that are otherwise hard to find in Avernus.",
						"At the conclusion of this chapter, the characters learn that the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} is hidden in a place called the Bleeding Citadel. If she's still alive, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} helps them get there. See {@adventure chapter 4|BGDIA|7} for details about the Bleeding Citadel."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "What Is Avernus?",
					"page": 75,
					"id": "19b",
					"entries": [
						"Avernus serves as the front line of the great clash between the evil forces of chaos and law known as the Blood War. Demons from the Abyss use the River Styx to enter Avernus, where they hurl themselves against infernal legions of devils.",
						"Avernus was not always the blasted, war-torn battlefield it is today. Long ago, it was a plane of lush gardens and bucolic beauty created by Asmodeus to tempt mortals. The intrusion of the River Styx followed by endless waves of slavering demons destroyed this paradise, leaving layer upon layer of bones, ruins, and shattered war machines. Pieces of cities stolen from other planes, tiny remnants of Avernus's lost beauty, evidence of destroyed celestial armies, and tombs of ancient travelers all dot the Avernian wasteland.",
						"Avernus is not a place expressly for the punishment of evil souls; instead, it represents a \"next level\" for evil souls after the end of their wicked lives as mortals. The Nine Hells allows souls to exist in a concentrated form, where they can work through their spiritual bondage to express their dark desires such as cruelty, covetousness, the need to control, the craving for power, and uncontrolled greed. Hell offers an eternity of fulfillment from the most insignificant desires to the seven deadly sins. Every shred of evil is used in the Nine Hells, and each layer specializes in some way to accommodate and exploit the vices and weaknesses of mortals. The devils of Avernus seek to exploit pride and wrath, promising the aggrieved, enraged, and egotistical the power to fulfill their darkest obsessions. Such fulfillment, however, comes at a price.",
						"Anyone entering Avernus finds a battlefield unlike anywhere else in existence. Evidence of past carnage, such as the ruins of enormous war machines and fields of bleached bones, stretches across the horizon. Through it all, the River Styx winds its way across the plane as knots of demons and devils skirmish along its fetid banks.",
						"Most devils in Avernus serve Zariel, though other Lords of the Nine send forces here to help repel demonic invaders. Devils who are not part of Zariel's legions serve as emissaries from the other layers or as spies for archdevils seeking signs of weakness that they can exploit to further their dreams of power.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/047-ygrsa-flowchart-3-1.webp"
							},
							"title": "Diagram 3.1: Chapter 3 Flowchart",
							"width": 1260,
							"height": 1000
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Visitors to Avernus",
							"page": 76,
							"id": "19c",
							"entries": [
								"Extraplanar travelers come to Avernus from time to time. Such visitors include war profiteers looking to get rich trading weapons and armor, mad wizards who want to test their latest spells, clerics on missions from their gods, treasure hunters searching for lost artifacts, grim-faced merchants who deal in slaves, smugglers of {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}, and scholars seeking firsthand knowledge of the machinations of the diabolical realms. Adventurers come here to negotiate with powerful fiends, meddle in the Blood War, and free poor souls trapped in the Nine Hells."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Zariel's War",
							"page": 76,
							"id": "19d",
							"entries": [
								"By bringing Elturel to Avernus and potentially gaining a choke hold on Baldur's Gate, Zariel aims to capture as many evil mortals as she can, turn them into devils, and swell the ranks of her battle-depleted legions. Through {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, Zariel found a way to exploit the gullible nature of mortals by appealing to their need to follow a leader who proclaims spiritual power. Because of Kreeg, the residents of Elturel are bound by the Creed Resolute to fight and die for Zariel in her endless war.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Zariel's Struggle",
									"page": 76,
									"id": "19e",
									"entries": [
										"In some ways, Zariel is a jewel in Asmodeus's crown\u2014a former angel, now an archdevil, in his infernal service. Given her origin, Zariel has more than the normal share of devils plotting to overthrow her, the first among them being the pit fiend {@creature Bel|BGDIA}, whom she displaced. By Asmodeus's decree, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} now serves Zariel as an advisor, though the two can barely stand to be in each other's presence.",
										"Despite the conflict within the diabolical ranks, Zariel runs a tight ship and instills fear in her legions. Retribution against those who attempt to betray her is swift and terrible."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "War for Souls",
									"page": 76,
									"id": "19f",
									"entries": [
										"Souls are the most prized commodities in the Nine Hells. The Blood War taxes Zariel's armies, so she must ensure a fresh supply of souls as replacements. To this end, Zariel looks for evildoers in the mortal realms who can deliver more souls to her.",
										"Because devils can't simply walk out of Avernus and step onto the Material Plane, they must rely on minions such as cultists and evil wizards, who can contact them and do their bidding in exchange for wealth and power. A select group of devils and mortal followers who seek to cause strife and destabilize harmonious communities serve as Zariel's chief corruptors. By funding evil groups, making and distributing weapons, and causing random acts of violence in the name of some enemy to ignite the spark of war, devils swell the capacity for mortals to commit acts of evil, corrupting souls by the thousands and thus ensuring the legions of devils are full of diabolic soldiers for the Blood War."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Yoke of Evil",
									"page": 76,
									"id": "1a0",
									"entries": [
										"Under constant pressure from both the Abyss and her infernal peers, Zariel and her high-ranking vassals work to keep her armies constantly in the fight. Zariel's wrath and pride have limits, however, and this offers her an opportunity for redemption. Zariel has, in a twisted way, achieved her dream as an angel\u2014to fight face-to-face against the demon hordes in the Blood War. But the burden is a heavy one, and if given the chance, Zariel could be convinced to set it aside, release Elturel, and return to the light with a completely transformed perspective.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Infernal Order of Battle",
											"page": 76,
											"id": "1a1",
											"entries": [
												"Whereas demons attack in disorganized mobs, relying on shock and overwhelming numbers to carry the day, devils organize into a basic unit called a legion. Each legion contains one thousand devils organized as follows:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"1 legion = 10 cohorts, commanded by a legate",
														"1 cohort = 10 lances, commanded by a signifier",
														"1 lance = 10 devils, commanded by an optio"
													]
												},
												"Ranks of miserable {@creature Lemure||lemures} and {@creature Nupperibo|MTF|nupperibos} compose the base of dreg legions, while {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} and {@creature Merregon|MTF|merregons} make up the bulk of regular legions. Each legion sports a unique name, usually denoting its purpose and numerical designation. Examples include the following:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"5th Infantry Legion, \"Infernal Absolution\"",
														"13th Cavalry Legion, \"{@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s Fury\"",
														"47th Dreg Legion, \"Piteous Fodder\""
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Features of Avernus",
					"page": 76,
					"id": "1a2",
					"entries": [
						"The hellscape of Avernus sits under hideous clouds that obscure the vault of the sky, from which the occasional meteor streaks before crashing into the ground. Ambient light continually swells up from just below the horizon as though lit by nine setting suns, yet no actual celestial bodies fill the sky\u2014no sun, moons, or stars. This constant twilight makes it difficult for the denizens of Avernus to track the passage of time.",
						"The atmosphere reeks of brimstone and burning tar, and hot gusts of wind shriek across the hellscape to scour the land below. Sometimes these winds swirl into immense sandstorms, which can strip flesh from bone and plunge everything into darkness.",
						"Biting flies, hellwasps, and blood-sucking stirges patrol the air, hunting for any source of blood to feed on. Swarms of them can grow so large that they blacken the sky and deafen the ears with the sound of their wings. On the ground, wandering bands of nupperibos\u2014blind, bloated castaways of the damned\u2014move in the thousands like living lakes of groaning flesh in their agonizing search for food. Bone fields, quicksand, bubbling tar pits, lakes of lava, canyons of wailing souls, and salt flats made from the tears of the damned all await those who wander the hellscape.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "River Styx",
							"page": 76,
							"id": "1a3",
							"entries": [
								"The River Styx courses through the Lower Planes, frustrating every attempt to map it or predict its course. Getting lost while sailing the Styx isn't the only danger the river presents. Simply tasting or touching its waters can shatter a creature's intellect and personality, as well as strip away its memories. Certain fiends are immune to the river's effects, but most creatures have no defense against it.",
								"Unless immune to the river's effects, a creature that drinks from the Styx or enters the river is targeted by a {@spell feeblemind} spell (save DC 20). A creature must repeat the saving throw whenever it starts its turn in the river, until it fails the save. A feebleminded creature can drink from the Styx and swim in its waters without suffering any additional deleterious effects.",
								"If a creature fails its saving throw and remains under the spell's effect for 30 consecutive days, the effect becomes permanent (no save) and the creature loses all its memories, becoming a near-mindless shell of its former self. At that point, nothing short of a {@spell wish} spell or divine intervention can undo the effect.",
								"Water taken from the River Styx loses its potency after 24 hours, becoming a harmless, foul-tasting liquid. However, {@creature Arcanaloth||arcanaloths}, {@creature Night Hag||night hags}, and other fell creatures might know rituals that can prolong the water's potency, at your discretion."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Alterations to Magic",
							"page": 77,
							"id": "1a4",
							"entries": [
								"Avernus is the entrance to the Nine Hells, a battlefield drenched in eldritch energy. The magic of the Weave works differently here, manifesting in unusual ways.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cosmetic Spell Modifications",
									"page": 77,
									"id": "1a5",
									"entries": [
										"At your discretion, a spell can be modified cosmetically to enhance the corrupting nature of Avernus. Here are some examples:",
										"{@spell Bigby's Hand}. The conjured hand is a fiendish claw.",
										"{@spell Find Familiar}. The familiar is an {@creature imp}.",
										"{@spell Find Steed}. The steed is a {@creature nightmare}.",
										"{@spell Find the Path}. An {@creature imp} appears and begrudgingly guides the caster to the desired location while complaining the whole time, disappearing when the destination is reached or the spell ends.",
										"{@spell Fog Cloud}. Moaning faces appear and fade in the yellow fog that smells like sulfur.",
										"{@spell Hellish Rebuke}. The cackling of imps accompanies the fire unleashed by this spell.",
										"{@spell Mage Hand}. The summoned hand is shaped like a claw.",
										"{@spell Rary's Telepathic Bond}. Characters linked together by the spell can hear vague, infernal whispering in the background, but can't make out what's being said."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Telepathic Communications",
									"page": 77,
									"id": "1a6",
									"entries": [
										"Archdevils can eavesdrop on communication spells such as {@spell message} and {@spell sending} sent from or within the Nine Hells. Because of this, those engaging in telepathic communication always have the feeling that they are being listened in on or watched by some infernal presence, even if an archdevil isn't eavesdropping on their communication.",
										"Telepathic communications via magic items such as {@item sending stones} or a {@item helm of telepathy} can be overheard by an archdevil as well. Communicating with a {@item Figurine of Wondrous Power, Serpentine Owl||serpentine owl}, an {@item orb of dragonkind}, or a sentient weapon also runs the risk of being overheard in Avernus. {@item Ring of Mind Shielding||Rings of mind shielding} work the same in Avernus as they do on any other plane and are highly valuable items in the Nine Hells, coveted by all fiends to avoid the prying minds of their masters.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/048-bgcpo-03-02.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 669
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Demon Ichor",
							"page": 78,
							"id": "1a7",
							"entries": [
								"See the entry on the {@hazard demon ichor|bgdia|Traps and Hazards} page."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Food and Drink",
							"page": 78,
							"id": "1a9",
							"entries": [
								"Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) checks to forage in Avernus are made at disadvantage. Water exists, but it tastes foul and is hard to find. Food can likewise be scrounged, but the flora and fauna taste revolting no matter the manner of preparation. Even rations brought to Avernus taste bitter and ashen."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Rests in Avernus",
							"page": 78,
							"id": "1aa",
							"entries": [
								"There are no \"days\" or \"nights\" in Avernus, but time should still be tracked in hour increments. Thus, the characters can take long and short rests as they do normally."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Optional Rules",
							"page": 78,
							"id": "1ab",
							"entries": [
								"Here are some optional rules that you can use to reinforce the flavor of adventuring in Avernus.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Commerce",
									"page": 78,
									"id": "1ac",
									"entries": [
										"When it comes to the souls of mortals, the Nine Hells is always open for business. In Avernus, the business is war, making sure the front lines of the Blood War are continuously replenished with fresh troops, weapons, armor, and war machines. The main drivers behind this infernal commerce are treasure and {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}.",
										"Treasure is only valuable to devils because of its efficacy in tempting and twisting mortals (humans in particular) toward lives of corruption, ultimately leading them to forfeit their souls. Because gold has been used for millennia in the Nine Hells, adventurers can find gold coins from civilizations long lost to history.",
										"Silver is harmful to devils. Nevertheless, devils trade silver to those wishing to eliminate rivals in their path."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bargain-Basement Death Saves",
									"page": 78,
									"id": "1ad",
									"entries": [
										"Whenever a character fails a death save in the Nine Hells, an archdevil may contact that character telepathically and offer its assistance. The character must agree to perform a task for the archdevil afterward. The nature of the task is not revealed until the character agrees to these terms.",
										"A character who agrees to the archdevil's terms automatically rolls a 20 on their next death save. At the same time, the character falls under the effect of a {@spell geas} spell (no saving throw allowed). If this spell ends prematurely, the character immediately drops to 0 hit points and is dying. The task that the character must complete is usually simple and straightforward, and always for the benefit of the archdevil who struck the deal. Sample tasks include delivering a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} to one of the archdevil's minions, refusing to help someone the character is fated to meet in the future, or destroying something the archdevil abhors (such as a holy symbol)."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Exhaustion",
									"page": 79,
									"id": "1ae",
									"entries": [
										"Avernus's combination of oppressive heat and supernatural malevolence weighs on the bodies and souls of those who are not evil. A non-evil creature treats normal travel through Avernus as a forced march and must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour of travel. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour of travel. On a failed saving throw, a creature suffers one level of {@condition exhaustion}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Pervasive Evil",
									"page": 79,
									"id": "1af",
									"entries": [
										"Evil pervades the Nine Hells, and visitors to this plane feel its influence. At the end of each long rest taken on this plane, a visitor that isn't evil must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's alignment changes to lawful evil. The change becomes permanent if the creature doesn't leave the plane within {@dice 1d4} days. Otherwise, the creature's alignment reverts to normal after one day spent on a plane other than the Nine Hells. Casting the {@spell dispel evil and good} spell on the creature also restores its original alignment.",
										{
											"type": "gallery",
											"images": [
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/049-edgfn-map-3-1.webp"
													},
													"title": "Map 3.1: Avernus",
													"width": 2550,
													"height": 1812,
													"imageType": "map",
													"grid": {
														"type": "none"
													},
													"id": "3cd"
												},
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/050-gzik9-map-avernus-player.webp"
													},
													"title": "Player Version",
													"width": 2550,
													"height": 1812,
													"imageType": "mapPlayer",
													"grid": {
														"type": "none"
													},
													"mapParent": {
														"id": "3cd"
													}
												}
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Using the Poster Map",
					"page": 79,
					"id": "1b0",
					"entries": [
						"The poster map depicts a region of Avernus, a wasteland of dizzying proportions that has been warped by eons of demonic invasion. Travelers face a hellscape that disorients the senses and defies attempts to map it accurately.",
						"Standard cartographic methods are useless, since distances in Avernus are impossible to gauge and locations sometimes shift supernaturally. As such, the map shows pictorial impressions of locations that only hint at their distances from one another. It is by no means something that can, or should, be taken literally.",
						"No scale is marked on the map, and the placement of locations is based on the memories of an intrepid yet insane cartographer. Distances and travel times between locations cannot be determined by studying the map and can change with each journey, at your discretion. Your players should never feel like they understand Avernus geographically, providing an unsettled and disorienting feeling as they roam the hellscape.",
						"The poster map is riddled with strange imagery and unique iconography. These are the cartographer's artistic impressions of Avernus, and their meanings, for the most part, remain a mystery. While exploring Avernus, the characters discover a peculiar property of the map: it talks! Whenever they arrive at one of the locations described in this chapter, the voice of the cartographer emanates from the map to reveal a clue. The map speaks only to utter its clues, so the characters can't query it or engage it in conversation. The cartographer's mad ramblings precede the description of each adventure location marked on the map. If queried about a location not drawn on the map, the cartographer mumbles incoherently, screams madly, or whimpers in despair.",
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Mapping Avernus",
							"page": 79,
							"id": "1b1",
							"entries": [
								"Celestials and demon lords alike wish for a working map of Avernus, but attempts to map the layer have consistently met with failure.",
								"If a character attempts to map Avernus, madness begins to set in. After each mapping session, the character must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the character contracts a random form of madness determined by rolling on the {@table short-term madness||Short-Term Madness table} in chapter 8 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. If the character fails this saving throw a second time, roll on the {@table Long-Term Madness} table instead. If the character fails a third time, roll on the {@table Indefinite Madness} table."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Charting a Course",
							"page": 80,
							"id": "1b2",
							"entries": [
								"Using the map to chart a course from one location to another is unreliable at best. It helps if the characters have visited a destination before, but even that is no guarantee they'll end up where they intended.",
								"When charting a course through Avernus, ask the player whose character is overseeing navigation to roll two dice:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Roll {@dice 2d4} if the characters are traveling to an unvisited destination marked on their map.",
										"Roll {@dice 2d8} if the characters are returning to a destination they've visited previously.",
										"Roll {@dice 2d10} if a native guide is leading the characters to their destination."
									]
								},
								"If the rolls of both dice don't match, the characters arrive at their destination as intended. If the dice match, they wind up somewhere else: pick one of the other locations."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Fort Knucklebone",
					"page": 80,
					"id": "1b3",
					"entries": [
						"After leaving Elturel, the adventurers head to Fort Knucklebone, a junkyard stronghold on the edge of a desolate expanse of Avernus ravaged by rival gangs of scavengers. Fort Knucklebone doesn't appear on the poster map of Avernus, as the map's cartographer never found or visited this location.",
						"Fort Knucklebone provides shelter to a gang of wasteland marauders called the Knucklebones, serving as a garage where they build and repair infernal war machines. The Knucklebones answer to {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, a night hag warlord who has an agreement with Zariel: the archduke of Avernus leaves Fort Knucklebone alone as long as {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} keeps the other warlords in the area in check.",
						"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} believes that the kenku from the visions reside in the fort and may be able to help, which is partially true. They can bring {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and the characters to {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, who can in turn provide them with assistance.",
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Areas of Fort Knucklebone",
							"page": 80,
							"id": "1b4",
							"entries": [
								"The main feature of the fort is the hand-shaped hill, between the fingers of which are caves where {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} oversees repairs to several infernal war machines (see {@adventure appendix B|BGDIA|11} for infernal war machine rules and stat blocks). Around this hill is a ring of debris that serves as a crude rampart. This barrier is 15 feet thick, and its height averages 20 feet.",
								"Built into the rampart is a ramshackle gatehouse (see \"{@area Entering the Fort|1b8|x}\"). One of the redcaps that guards the gatehouse stands next to an iron gong that can be struck to warn of impending attack. A 15-foot high, 20-foot-wide, entryway passes through the gatehouse. A wall of junk on rollers can be pushed in front of the entryway to seal it in case of attack.",
								"Within the rampart, surrounding the hill, are hovels made of junk and scrap metal. These quarters are mostly empty except for a few cots, since only the kenku require food, drink, and sleep. They are used when members of {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s gang need privacy. Amid the hovels are the plundered wrecks of several infernal war machines that have been picked clean for parts."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Arrival at the Fort",
							"page": 80,
							"id": "1b5",
							"entries": [
								"When the characters get within sight of Fort Knucklebone, describe the location as follows:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "1b6",
									"entries": [
										"A fortified compound sits atop a low plateau that rises out of a crater-pocked landscape. At the center of the compound is a hill of rust-colored stone that resembles a hand clawing out of the ground, with gaps between the fingers. A jagged wall made of rock, bones, and metal debris surrounds this hand-shaped hill. Other highlights visible from this distance include a gatehouse, atop which stands a half-dozen small figures on watch."
									]
								},
								"When the characters are ready to approach the fortress, see \"{@area Entering the Fort|1b8|x}\" below. First, however, review the following summary of how to run this scene to maximum effect.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Running the Fort",
									"page": 80,
									"id": "1b7",
									"entries": [
										"In this part of the adventure, the characters must carefully tread the social milieu of a night hag and her cadre of crazed followers.",
										"This scene resolves around a factor essential in any negotiation: leverage. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} possesses several things the characters could use, including infernal war machines, provisions, temporary shelter, and information. The characters have something {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} desires greatly: {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories.",
										"One way to run a complex social encounter like this one is to imagine a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 representing the worst possible outcome and 10 the best. The characters start at 5, and as they progress through the scene, they may move up or down the scale. Positive and helpful interactions move them up the scale, and antagonistic or unfriendly exchanges lose them points, as you determine. Where they end determines the consequences of the encounter. For example, if the characters end at a 10 on the scale, they get everything they want from {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}: one or more vehicles to expedite travel across Avernus, all the information they need, monetary or magical gifts, and provisions. If they end at a 1 on the scale, they anger {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} and get nothing. They might even have to fight their way out of Fort Knucklebone. As long as the characters still have a path forward, a spectacular failure can be just as memorable as success.",
										"The following sections detail the important NPCs and creatures within Fort Knucklebone. Included in these descriptions are the personalities and goals of the NPCs, as well as what they have to offer the characters. These descriptions also allow you, as the DM, to determine how the characters can gain leverage in the negotiations and get what they want or need.",
										"Use the 1-to-10 scale as a barometer for rating the overall success of the characters in dealing with the strange, intriguing, and dangerous world of {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} and the Knucklebones. Let the characters' decisions, insights, knowledge, roleplaying, successes, and failures move the slider up or down the scale as you see fit.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/051-d9bim-03-03.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 651
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Entering the Fort",
							"page": 81,
							"id": "1b8",
							"entries": [
								"The gatehouse serves as the entrance to Fort Knucklebone. Six {@creature Redcap|VGM|redcaps} stand guard atop it. One redcap yells down at the characters as they approach, asking for the password. After a few moments, a different redcap says, \"We don't have a password!\" All the redcaps fall over in peals of mirth.",
								"The redcaps on guard duty give the characters a difficult time, asking them to do ridiculous things to gain entrance. After a few minutes, when the characters get fed up with the nonsense, the redcaps tell them to quit standing around like idiots and come inside.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Seeing the Kenku",
									"page": 81,
									"id": "1b9",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter, they see the following scene within the fortress:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1ba",
											"entries": [
												"The area enclosed by the rampart is littered with trash and mechanical parts, some put together in a way that resembles a vehicle. Ramshackle structures, built from the same junk as the outer wall, provide shelter.",
												"A platoon of small fey creatures mills about, all looking like feral gnomes. Several them sport tall red caps, some of which drip with vile ichor.",
												"A pair of kenku examine one of the strange vehicles, chattering to each other in high-pitched squawks. These kenku carry an assortment of strange tools. When they see you, they turn and stare in wonder."
											]
										},
										"The kenku {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} instantly recognize {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, since they've met her previously. Before the characters can act, {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} squawks at them:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1bb",
											"entries": [
												"One of the kenku waves in your direction as if telling you to remain where you are. \"What a deal! Patience is a virtue! Can't keep the boss waiting!\" He runs off into one of the trash structures.",
												"Moments later he returns, leading a tall creature wearing a long, tattered shift covered in mud, blood, mold, and worse. The hag's eyes seem to move independently of each other as she approaches, her straggly brown hair hanging in front of them. Resting on each shoulder are red-eyed ravens that scrutinize your group. Behind her, a hulking creature built of disparate fiendish parts trudges, moaning and hopping as it walks.",
												"Then both of the hag's eyes focus keenly on your group, and on {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} specifically. \"My goodness!\" the hag croaks, spittle dribbling from her mouth. \"Where did you find such a treasure?\""
											]
										},
										"The characters can explain their predicament, and {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} can offer to unlock {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories, joyfully telling the characters about {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s possible relationship to Zariel. Before she does that, however, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} tells the characters she needs to gather supplies for the ritual of memory unlocking. This gives the characters a chance to interact with the other members of {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s gang and maybe earn some good will with them as mentioned under their individual descriptions below."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Mad Maggie",
							"page": 82,
							"id": "1bc",
							"entries": [
								"While Zariel's attention is focused on the Blood War, power-hungry warlords of the Avernian wastes cobble together heavily armed gangs and lead packs of infernal war machines in brutal combat, carving out vicious fiefdoms for themselves. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} is one such warlord.",
								"{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} is a {@creature night hag} with the demeanor of a kindly grandmother, but her warm smile masks a cruel cunning. In addition to her {@i heartstone}, the hag carries a black {@i soul bag} (see the \"Night Hag\" entry in the {@book Monster Manual|MM} for more information on this magic items. The bag contains nine {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}, which {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} uses to power her infernal war machines.",
								"Years ago, a thirst to experience the ultimate misery brought the night hag to the first layer of the Nine Hells. Followed to Avernus by scores of bloodthirsty redcaps, Maggie found pieces of a beautiful tapestry that chronicled the fall of Zariel. It recounted the angel's descent into Avernus, her betrayal at the hands of the Hellriders, and her submission to Asmodeus, which led to her becoming an archdevil worthy to rule Avernus. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} is obsessed with Zariel's cataclysmic saga and scours the wastelands of Avernus for more such relics. In the crucible of the Avernian wastelands, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} has risen to become a respected warlord.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/052-vhatr-03-04.webp"
									},
									"title": "{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} and Mickey",
									"width": 956,
									"height": 1000
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Maggie's Goals",
									"page": 82,
									"id": "1bd",
									"entries": [
										"Driven by her lust for misery and her delight in the corruption of the valiant, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} seeks to collect more artifacts tied to Zariel's fall from grace. When she becomes aware of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s relationship to Zariel, the night hag tries to dig up {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s lost memories, believing they might hold the most exquisite emotional records of Zariel's descent. As the characters assist Maggie in this endeavor, they gain favor with\u2014and leverage over\u2014the hag."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Maggie's Offers",
									"page": 82,
									"id": "1be",
									"entries": [
										"Maggie has the means to unlock the memories {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} struggles to remember. Once the memories are retrieved, the characters learn the destination of the next step of their journey.",
										"Maggie also can furnish the characters with one or more infernal war machines, which would make their trip across the wastelands more manageable. Additionally, if the characters have no means of creating provisions, Maggie can supply them with food and water as well. Maggie could also offer information about the dangers the characters might face in the wasteland, including other gangs, if the characters gain enough leverage and delight Maggie with their offerings."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Knucklebones Gang",
							"page": 82,
							"id": "1bf",
							"entries": [
								"Maggie's band consists of {@creature Chukka|BGDIA}, {@creature Clonk|BGDIA}, a fiendish flesh golem named Mickey, a pair of conniving imps, a flameskull, and a host of murderous fey creatures.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/053-p0ex0-03-05.webp"
									},
									"title": "{@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA}",
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 604
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Chukka and Clonk",
									"page": 83,
									"id": "1c0",
									"entries": [
										"These two {@creature kenku} are loyal, longtime associates of {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s. She refers to them as the Magpies. {@creature Clonk|BGDIA}, the bigger of the two kenku, is the strong, silent type who sometimes drives {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s infernal war machine. {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} is animated, irritable, and takes care of repairs around the fort.",
										"{@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} lost their weapons and replaced them with the following weapons salvaged from infernal battlefields:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"{@creature Chukka|BGDIA} wields a silvered pike (+2 to hit) that has a reach of 10 feet and deals 5 ({@dice 1d10}) piercing damage on a hit.",
												"{@creature Clonk|BGDIA} wields a {@i hellfire warhammer} (+2 to hit) that deals 4 ({@dice 1d8}) bludgeoning damage on a hit, or 5 ({@dice 1d10}) bludgeoning damage when used with two hands. For more information on {@i hellfire weapons}, see \"{@item Hellfire Weapon|BGDIA}\"."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Chukka and Clonk's Goal",
											"page": 83,
											"id": "1c1",
											"entries": [
												"The kenku live to build, fix, and drive infernal machines. At some point during their visit, the characters see the kenku angrily hammering on a nonfunctional {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA}. It isn't working, and they can't figure out why. They would be very grateful to anyone who could help them discern the problem."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Helping the Kenku",
											"page": 83,
											"id": "1c2",
											"entries": [
												"One of the parts in the {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA}\u2014a spiky gear\u2014is disrupting the flow of infernal energy through the vehicle. The gear, comprised of spikes from a hezrou demon, surges with demonic energy to cause the malfunction. A successful DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana} or {@skill Investigation}) by a character who spends at least 10 minutes examining the vehicle reveals which part is to blame.",
												"{@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} appreciate the help in identifying the problem. Characters can further assist by finding a way to remove the demonic essence from the gear. Spells such as {@spell dispel magic} or {@spell protection from evil and good}, or other methods that the characters might imagine, could make the part usable. If the characters help the pair get the infernal machine running, the kenku express their pleasure to {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, who becomes even more likely to help the characters in their quest."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mickey the Flesh Golem",
									"page": 83,
									"id": "1c3",
									"entries": [
										"Shortly after arriving in Avernus, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} created Mickey, a {@creature fiendish flesh golem|BGDIA} comprised of fiendish body parts scavenged from the battlefields of Avernus. Mickey is a sweet, dumb brute who follows {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s orders.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Mickey's Goal",
											"page": 83,
											"id": "1c4",
											"entries": [
												"Unknown to anyone else at Fort Knucklebone, Mickey has a large piece of a destroyed bone devil lodged in his foot, which makes walking difficult for the brute. Unable to speak, he moans as he walks and does a bit of a hopping dance. The madcaps and redcaps think this is wonderful, and they occasionally accompany him in a vile song and dance. Characters who witness this and succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check realize Mickey's plight. They can then attempt to remove the bone fragment without permanently inhibiting Mickey's stride. A successful DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Medicine}) check allows for the successful removal of the bone. After that, Mickey can walk without moaning or hopping, making {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} more amenable to assisting the characters. The redcaps and madcaps, however, become angry that they can no longer \"do the Mickey.\""
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Pins and Needles",
									"page": 84,
									"id": "1c5",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} cut a deal with a pit fiend to secure the services of two shrewd but lazy {@creature Imp||imps} named Pins and Needles. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} treats them with such kindness that the imps can't imagine wanting to work for anyone else. In {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s presence, the imps usually assume the forms of ravens that nest in her hair or perch on her shoulders.",
										"When not loitering around Fort Knucklebone, Pins and Needles keep tabs on the Blood War and spy on {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s rivals. Unlike most devils, Pins and Needles aren't gunning for promotions. They shun the infernal hierarchy and crinkle their noses in disgust when anyone tries to foist more responsibility onto them.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "The Imps' Goals",
											"page": 84,
											"id": "1c6",
											"entries": [
												"As much as they love their lives at Fort Knucklebone, the imps have a problem. They foolishly played a prank on one of the madcaps, Wazzik. Now they fear that Wazzik and a small group of his irrational friends are plotting revenge. The imps don't want to tell Maggie because she warned them not to pick on the madcaps, so they see the characters as a potential solution to their situation."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Helping the Imps",
											"page": 84,
											"id": "1c7",
											"entries": [
												"As events play out in Fort Knucklebone, the characters notice that Pins and Needles lurk about at a distance, whispering to each other and staring at the characters. If confronted, the imps make a big deal of revealing a secret. Of course they lie, telling the characters that a madcap named Wazzik is planning to kill {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and urging them to take care of this threat first.",
												"A successful DC 14 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check reveals that the imps are lying. If called on the lie, the imps reveal the truth about why they want Wazzik dead. They tell the characters exactly when and where to find Wazzik alone, and they promise to put in a good word with Maggie if the characters kill the madcap.",
												"The imps' information is sound, and the characters can take care of the problem quickly and quietly. However, if anyone witnesses the murder, the characters might have to deal with consequences and complications. Fortunately for the characters, Maggie cares little for the madcaps and ignores the death, although it might lower the characters in her esteem a bit when it comes time to reward them."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Barnabas the Flameskull",
									"page": 84,
									"id": "1c8",
									"entries": [
										"Barnabas, once a powerful wizard, had his crypt defiled by an evil nemesis who stole his skull and turned it into a {@creature flameskull}. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} struck a bargain with this rival wizard and took Barnabas as payment. Now he's a part of her gang.",
										"Barnabas is forgetful and a bit pompous, but every now and then he has amazing ideas and remembers remarkably useful things from his arcane past.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Barnabas's Goal",
											"page": 84,
											"id": "1c9",
											"entries": [
												"The redcaps like to hurl things at Barnabas, and after getting hit in the jaw with a loose gear, Barnabas lost one of his teeth. He saw a redcap, Grubba, grab it and run off. Barnabas is too embarrassed to tell {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} about it, though she suspects something is amiss because Barnabas has starting whistling when he speaks.",
												"He quietly asks the characters to help him find his missing tooth. He points out Grubba the redcap but admits that all the little sly creatures look similar to him."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Helping Barnabas",
											"page": 84,
											"id": "1ca",
											"entries": [
												"Characters can question the redcaps, starting with Grubba, to find out who has the tooth. Each time they question a redcap, there is a {@chance 50|50 percent} chance that the redcap gets angry and attacks the characters, backed up by {@dice 1d4} additional redcaps.",
												"The redcaps believe the tooth is a lucky charm, so they frequently pass it from one to the next to keep Barnabas from finding it. Because of this constant transfer of the tooth, there's little hope of the characters finding it by confronting one redcap at a time. However, a character who quietly observes the redcaps for 10 minutes can attempt a DC 11 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check. On a success, the character sees one redcap passing a bloody pouch to another redcap, who tucks it in a pocket. This pouch contains Barnabas's tooth.",
												"A character who moves within reach of the redcap can attempt to pick its pocket and obtain the pouch without its knowledge, doing so with a successful DC 14 Dexterity ({@skill Sleight of Hand}) check.",
												"No redcap relinquishes the pouch willingly, though it can be magically {@condition charmed} into doing so. The redcap attacks any character who tries to take it by force, and twelve other redcaps join the fight on the next round. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} won't break up such a fight unless the characters have done something nice for her, although if the dreamscape ritual has not taken place yet, she won't allow the redcaps to kill a character.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/054-yaoms-03-06.webp"
													},
													"title": "Madcap",
													"width": 809,
													"height": 804
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Redcaps and Madcaps",
									"page": 84,
									"id": "1cb",
									"entries": [
										"Redcaps are murderous fey creatures that soak their caps in fresh blood. Madcaps are redcaps that drench their caps in demon ichor instead. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} currently commands sixty redcaps and thirty madcaps, although a third of them operate outside the fort, patrolling the areas of the wasteland controlled by {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}. As battles deplete this force, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} has new redcaps delivered to her from the Feywild, courtesy of powerful fey with whom she has struck bargains. For this reason, the night hag has no concern for the well-being of her redcap and madcap minions. See {@adventure appendix D|BGDIA|13} for more information about {@creature Redcap|VGM|redcaps} and {@creature Redcap|VGM|madcaps}.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Redcap and Madcap Goals",
											"page": 84,
											"id": "1cc",
											"entries": [
												"These creatures don't have many goals, being mad fey creatures that revel in chaos and slaughter. Their interactions with the characters should reflect that. One might offer a character a severed finger as a token of friendship, then accuse the character of stealing it afterward. Only their love and fear of {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} keeps the creatures under a loose sort of control.",
												"{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} understands the nature of these beings and she does not hold it against the characters if they kill them, especially when acting in self-defense."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mad Maggie's Infernal War Machines",
									"page": 84,
									"id": "1cd",
									"entries": [
										"Fort Knucklebone contains the hulks of infernal war machines in varying states of disrepair and cannibalization. Of the lot, two appear relatively intact. The smaller one is a {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA}, the bigger one a {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA}. The wheels of the Devil's Ride are missing. The Tormentor is missing its harpoon flinger, and its armor plating is corroded as though eaten by acid, reducing the vehicle's AC to 15.",
										"If the characters earn enough gratitude from {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, one or both of these war machines might be gifted to them. {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} can attach wheels to the {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA} and a weapon to the {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA}, if {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} instructs them to. Replacing the armor on the Tormentor can be done as well, but only after efforts are made to salvage scrap metal from the battlefields of Avernus. Any such salvage operation is likely to attract unwanted attention from other warlords (see \"{@area Warlords of the Avernian Wastelands|1e0|x}\").",
										"In addition to the war machines described above, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} has several infernal war machines in drivable condition that are undergoing regular maintenance and upgrades in her garage under the hill. These vehicles are not for sale or trade, though brazen adventurers might try stealing them. These vehicles include two {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA|Devil's Rides}, three {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA|Tormentors}, the aforementioned {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA} (which {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} have been trying to repair), and a {@vehicle Scavenger|BGDIA} that {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} uses for salvage operations."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Lulu's Dream Quest",
							"page": 85,
							"id": "1ce",
							"entries": [
								"Before they can retrieve the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, the characters must learn the location of the Bleeding Citadel, which is trapped in {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s hidden memories. When {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} becomes aware of the characters' interest in accessing these hidden memories, she offers to perform a ritual that creates a dreamscape in which the hollyphant's memories can be perceived. For {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, the ritual is its own reward, as the hag longs to know everything {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} knows about the fall of Zariel.",
								"After making some preparations, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} creates a fiendish circle on the ground, and arranges several comfortable black cushions at the center. She orders {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} to rest on the cushions, which the hollyphant does with a bit of trepidation. Maggie then places two skulls on the circle, noting that she's sure her sisters won't care if she picks their brains about this problem.",
								"The hag instructs {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and the characters to take up places within the circle. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} tells the characters to close their eyes and keep them closed, that the ritual should last about ten minutes, and that during the ritual all within the circle will be joined by a telepathic bond. If anyone leaves the circle, the ritual is interrupted and she'll be forced to start over. An incomplete ritual yields no insight into {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories.",
								"As the hag initiates the ritual, the characters sense the telepathic bond forming between themselves, the hag, and {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}. Their eyes still closed, the characters sense a brilliant flash of light, then darkness. A tingling sensation sweeps over the characters' bodies as vibrant rainbows appear within their minds and they see {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s first dream unfold. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} isn't in the dreamscape with them, though characters can hear the hag's disembodied voice whenever she speaks.",
								"Within this conjured dreamscape, characters can take psychic damage from hostile dream-creatures and other effects. A character reduced to 0 hit points by this psychic damage is {@condition unconscious} but stable, and unable to proceed to the next dream in the sequence. If all the characters fall {@condition unconscious}, the dream quest ends. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} can start over once the characters have regained consciousness and recovered from the ordeal.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Dream 1: Rainbow Angels",
									"page": 85,
									"id": "1cf",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following boxed text when the characters first enter {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s dreamscape:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1d0",
											"entries": [
												"As the rich, radiant light of a hundred dancing rainbows slowly dissolves, warm sunlight fills the area. Within that space, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} flies lazily in a lush meadow at the shoulder of a beautiful, blindfolded angel. As the pair strolls through the tall green grass, the voice of the hag fills your mind, \"Push through this vision. It only represents what {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} wishes was true. We need to see more.\""
											]
										},
										"Each character must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. If one or more of the characters succeed, the sunny meadow fades to black as the dream sequence progresses toward the next dream.",
										"If all the characters fail the saving throw, each character takes 11 ({@dice 2d10}) psychic damage, and all of them must attempt the saving throw again. If at least one character succeeds the second time, this dream fades and the next one begins. If everyone fails the save again, all the characters take the psychic damage again. This process continues until at least one character succeeds or everyone falls {@condition unconscious}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Dream 2: Betrayal!",
									"page": 86,
									"id": "1d1",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who are conscious when the first dream ends proceed to the second dream:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1d2",
											"entries": [
												"A flame-encircled battlefield appears on a barren hellscape. At the center of the circle, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and the angel lie {@condition unconscious} and {@condition prone}, horribly injured. You see yourselves standing in defense of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and the angel, facing outward as six small, spine-covered devils creep closer. In the distance, a formation of battered and retreating human warriors disappears through a portal.",
												"\"The devils!\" hisses the hag's disembodied voice. \"You must defeat those devils!\""
											]
										},
										"The characters must defend {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and Zariel from the six {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils}. At this point, the characters and the devils should roll initiative. The dreamscape combat that follows pits the characters against the dream-devils. The characters begin combat at full hit points, minus any psychic damage taken in the previous dream. All damage dealt by the dream-devils converts to psychic damage. The devils let out dying screams and fall dead when reduced to 0 hit points.",
										"This dream ends when half of the {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} are reduced to 0 hit points. When the dream ends, the battlefield fades to black as the dream sequence proceeds with the next dream."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Dream 3: Devil Deal",
									"page": 86,
									"id": "1d3",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who are conscious when the second dream ends proceed to the third dream:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1d4",
											"entries": [
												"A landscape filled with thick, black smoke and the smells of death and decay expands to encompass everything. The small devils that survived the previous dream kneel before you and offer to serve you if you spare their lives."
											]
										},
										"If the characters agree to accept the devils' terms, the devils take the sky and fly away, returning to help the characters in the next dream. Otherwise, the devils fade away into nothingness and don't reappear later on.",
										"Once the characters make their choice, this dream ends and fades to black as the dream sequence continues with the next dream."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Dream 4: Desolation",
									"page": 86,
									"id": "1d5",
									"entries": [
										"When the fourth dream begins, read:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1d6",
											"entries": [
												"You wander a vast, barren landscape of utter devastation. Black sludge rises rapidly out of the ground, enveloping your feet and gripping you tightly, overwhelming you with a horrible sense of loss.",
												"\"Don't let the sludge consume you!\" says {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s disembodied voice. \"You must push through her defenses. She must look!\""
											]
										},
										"Have the characters roll initiative for their dream-selves. Each character is {@condition restrained} by the black sludge. On its turn, a character must use its action to try to get free of the sludge, doing so with a successful DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) or Dexterity ({@skill Acrobatics}) check. If at least one character accepted the devils' terms in the previous dream, {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} swoop down from the sky to help the characters pull free, granting advantage on each character's ability check.",
										"A character who gets free of the sludge rises up into the air and quickly shakes off the sense of horrible loss. For the rest of this dream, the freed character can do nothing except use the {@action Help} action on each of its turns to assist another character still trapped in the sludge.",
										"A character who fails the initial check to escape the sludge must repeat the check at the start of each of its turns. With each failed check after the first, the character takes 22 ({@dice 4d10}) psychic damage as the sense of horrible loss intensifies. If a character is reduced to 0 hit points by this psychic damage, its dream-self becomes completely submerged in the sludge and is lost.",
										"The dreamscape can continue into the final dream provided at least one character's dream-self escapes from the sludge."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Dream 5: Revelation",
									"page": 86,
									"id": "1d7",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who are conscious when the fourth dream ends proceed to the fifth and final dream, which is as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "1d8",
											"entries": [
												"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} rests on a black cushion at the center of an inky void. She is {@condition unconscious} and alone, a beam of brilliant white light shining down upon her. Next to {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, a large gleaming brass spyglass rests atop an ornately carved tripod.",
												"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} awakens and looks peacefully around her. Seeing the spyglass, she approaches it, pressing one eye against the eyepiece. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} then steps back suddenly, eyes wide, mouth open, her face alight with excitement. She cries out, \"The sword, the sword! I know where it is!\""
											]
										},
										"As the dream ends, the characters and {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} wake up in the ritual space. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} can barely contain her joy at rediscovering what she believes is the location of the Bleeding Citadel, and she impatiently begs the characters to start the next leg of their journey.",
										"If none of the characters' dream-selves made it to the end of the dreamscape, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} is eager to repeat the ritual. Conversely, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} might regain enough of her memory to lead characters on the next leg of the journey without having to endure the ritual a second time. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} is unhappy if she doesn't get to see the whole dream, and is less likely to help the characters get to where they need to go if they refuse to see the dream sequence through to the very end.",
										"If the characters made it to the end of the dreamscape, then {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} did as well. Experiencing the agonies of such pure suffering, the hag oozes contentment. As long as the characters have done nothing to displease her during their stay at Fort Knucklebone, {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} provides them with one or more of the available infernal war machines. If they have assisted her troops in other ways, she can provide any or all of the following as well:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"As many as three {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}, which the characters need to fuel their infernal war machines",
												"A silvered weapon of the characters' choice, to assist in battles with devils and lycanthropes",
												"Two weeks of rations per character (the rations taste awful but retain their nutritional value)",
												"Warnings about other warlords (see \"{@area Warlords of the Avernian Wastelands|1e0|x}\"), plus the name of someone who might help them (see \"{@area Roaming Encounter: Smiler the Defiler|2bb|x}\")"
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Farewell",
							"page": 87,
							"id": "1d9",
							"entries": [
								"The manner in which the Knucklebones bid farewell to the characters depends on how pleased {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} is with the characters. This attitude ranges from a near-tearful goodbye if they gave Maggie and her gang everything they wanted, to being chased away by rabid madcaps if everything went wrong.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Vengeful Pursuits",
									"page": 87,
									"id": "1da",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters take one or more infernal war machines from Fort Knucklebone without {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s consent, the night hag organizes a posse to run them down and get back what's hers, plus \"interest.\" {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} chases after them in her {@vehicle Scavenger|BGDIA}, with Mickey in the passenger seat behind her while she drives. Barnabas the flameskull operates the Grappling Claw with his {@spell mage hand} spell, {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} operate the Harpoon Flingers, and six madcaps cling to the outside hull, ready to leap onto enemy vehicles. If {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} got the broken {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA} working, that vehicle comes after the characters as well and is manned entirely by redcaps and madcaps."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Raggadragga Attacks!",
					"page": 87,
					"id": "1db",
					"entries": [
						"As the characters reach a half-mile or so away from Fort Knucklebone, trouble comes looking for them in the form of an enemy warlord:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "1dc",
							"entries": [
								"A plume of red dust billows in the distance, created by a large infernal war machine barreling in your direction. Its crew consists of boar-headed and rat-headed humanoids, all wearing goggles."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/055-1ivlr-03-07.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Raggadragga|BGDIA}",
							"width": 734,
							"height": 1000
						},
						"The incoming infernal war machine is a gore-spattered {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA} with gnashing metal teeth at the front and a wrecking ball swinging behind it. As it moves to intercept the characters, the vehicle is not trying to be stealthy.",
						"If the characters have one or more infernal war machines, they can try to outrun, outmaneuver, or destroy the approaching enemy vehicle. If they are on foot, they must find a way to disable the vehicle and defeat the creatures inside. If they do so, they can claim the {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA} for themselves.",
						"The {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA} is driven by the warlord {@creature Raggadragga|BGDIA}, a {@creature wereboar} with 120 hit points. He leads the Goreguts Gang, which consists of two other {@creature Wereboar||wereboars} named Jibbs and Oozywog (who operate the vehicle's Chomper and Wrecking Ball stations) and two {@creature Wererat||wererats} named Finnik and Yeegha (who operate the vehicle's Harpoon Flingers). Avernus has no moons, so the Goreguts Gang isn't beholden to lunar cycles. Its members prefer their hybrid forms.",
						"If he defeats the characters, {@creature Raggadragga|BGDIA} gets whatever information he can out of them before attempting to ransom them back to {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}. The night hag may or may not pay for them, depending on her disposition toward the characters when they left Fort Knucklebone.",
						"If the characters defeat the Goreguts Gang, they can take possession of the {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA}, which burns through its remaining fuel in 6 hours.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"id": "1dd",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"id": "1de",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 87,
											"id": "1df",
											"entries": [
												"{@creature Raggadragga|BGDIA} carries three {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} that he uses to fuel the {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA}. He also carries a {@item circlet of blasting}, which he can don and use to make ranged attacks. The other members of the Goreguts Gang have no treasure.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/056-aw9op-03-08-full.webp"
													},
													"title": "The warlords of Avernus conquer the hellish wastelands in infernal war machines powered by souls",
													"width": 5025,
													"height": 3338
												}
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Warlords of the Avernian Wastelands",
					"page": 90,
					"id": "1e0",
					"entries": [
						"As the characters cross the wastelands of Avernus, they will likely run afoul of petty warlords scavenging for {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} and scrap metal to fuel and repair their infernal war machines. {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} and {@creature Raggadragga|BGDIA} are two warlords whom the characters meet early on. The following sections describe three other warlords who prowl the Avernian wastes: a wingless {@creature horned devil} named {@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA}, a human necromancer named {@creature Feonor|BGDIA}, and a {@creature chain devil} named {@creature Princeps Kovik|BGDIA}. These warlords are as cruel and merciless as the hell they inhabit. All share a \"survival of the fittest\" mentality.",
						"In Avernus, a warlord's power is measured by the strength and size of its gang, and the threat posed by its infernal war machines. As one warlord bites the dust, another inevitably rises to take its place. {@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA}, {@creature Feonor|BGDIA}, and {@creature Princeps Kovik|BGDIA} are merely the latest in a long series of warlords to plague the Avernian expanse. If Zariel wasn't so busy fighting the Blood War, she would rid Avernus of these roaming pests; as things stand, she's content to let the warlords wipe each other out instead.",
						"If you need to add some excitement to the adventure, have one of these warlords show up to challenge the characters. One warlord might be after {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} to fuel its infernal war machines, while another might be eager to forge an alliance with a capable band of adventurers against a greater foe. With the exception of {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, these warlords have no lairs, so they can be encountered anywhere at any time.",
						"Avernus has more warlords than the ones described here. You can create new ones, each with their own gangs and infernal war machines. Don't worry about throwing too many infernal war machines at the characters. You can curtail the characters' reliance on infernal war machines by restricting their access to {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}, which the vehicles burn as fuel. A typical warlord has {@dice 2d6} {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} and {@dice 2d6} flasks of demon ichor (see \"{@area Demon Ichor|1a7|x}\") at any given time.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Infernal War Machine Combat",
							"page": 90,
							"id": "1e1",
							"entries": [
								"All the warlords described in this adventure use infernal war machines to strike fear into their rivals, fend off demons and other threats, and flee from Zariel's devil patrols. The rules for infernal war machines in {@adventure appendix B|BGDIA|11} are meant to help you adjudicate situations that arise during encounters, but combat involving infernal war machines works best with \"theater of the mind\"-style play, where it's more important to capture the emotion of a chase than know the exact location and orientation of every vehicle on the battlefield.",
								"If a situation arises that the vehicle rules don't cover, fall back on the core rules. For example, if a character wants to leap from one moving vehicle to another, determine whether the character succeeds or not with a Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check, setting the jump's DC based on the distance between the two vehicles (as well as other factors, as appropriate). Keep it fun and fast-paced, and push the rules aside when they get in the way."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Bitter Breath",
							"page": 90,
							"id": "1e2",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA} is a resentful, vindictive warlord that fell prey to the cutthroat politics of Avernus. Formerly a pit fiend named L'zeth, it strove to undermine Zariel while courting {@creature Bel|BGDIA}. Shortly after claiming rulership of Avernus, Zariel demoted L'zeth to a {@creature horned devil}.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/057-u4jqy-03-09.webp"
									},
									"width": 932,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"For a while, L'zeth nursed its damaged pride. Eventually, the despondent devil reignited its ambitions and became involved in a plot to overthrow Zariel. The archdevil's spies learned of the plot. As further punishment, Zariel removed L'zeth's wings and cursed the horned devil so that it could no longer enter into deals. Any document that L'zeth signs melts away, and any words it utters turn to smoke in its mouth. Thus did L'zeth become known as {@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA}.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bitter Breath's Marauders",
									"page": 90,
									"id": "1e3",
									"entries": [
										"Zariel has declared that no other devil may associate with {@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA}. However, Zariel's decree hasn't stopped the fiendish outcast from joining forces with a gang of marauding hobgoblins under the command of a battle-hardened {@creature hobgoblin warlord} named High Graj Karkajuk.",
										"{@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA} drives a {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA} that has an Infernal Screamer (see \"{@vehupgrade Infernal Screamer|bgdia}\") instead of a Harpoon Flinger. {@creature Hobgoblin||Hobgoblins} round out the Tormentor's crew. High Graj Karkajuk drives a {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA} and commands a pair of {@vehicle Scavenger|BGDIA|Scavengers} driven by {@creature Hobgoblin Captain||hobgoblin captains} and crewed by ordinary {@creature Hobgoblin||hobgoblins}. See {@adventure appendix B|BGDIA|11} for the vehicles' stat blocks."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Feonor",
							"page": 91,
							"id": "1e4",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/058-gyhxw-03-10.webp"
									},
									"width": 445,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"{@creature Feonor|BGDIA} is a willowy, neutral evil {@creature archmage} with milky-white eyes and a parasol made of bones and human flesh. Her rivals know her as a powerful necromancer. They suspect that she fled the Material Plane to escape some horrible fate, but the truth is she was invited to Avernus by Mahadi, the rakshasa master of the Wandering Emporium (see \"{@area The Wandering Emporium|297|x}\"). During a visit to {@creature Feonor|BGDIA}'s world, Mahadi fell head-over-heels in love with her zombie-like indifference. Not long after arriving in Avernus, {@creature Feonor|BGDIA} grew bored of Mahadi's attempts to impress her. Without so much as a farewell, she took to the Avernian wastes on one of the rakshasa's infernal war machines and never looked back. Years later, Mahadi still refers to her as \"the one the got away.\"",
								"The scowl on {@creature Feonor|BGDIA}'s face hints at her constant annoyance with the multiverse around her. She prefers not to speak, and when she does, it's typically only in whispers, her short sentences interspersed and punctuated with frustrated sighs.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Golden Doom",
									"page": 91,
									"id": "1e5",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Feonor|BGDIA} rides around in a {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA} called {@i Golden Doom}, so named because Mahadi fitted it with gilded death armor (see \"{@vehupgrade Gilded Death Armor|bgdia}\"). The vehicle is driven by a {@creature ghast}, and its other stations are operated by {@creature Ghoul||ghouls}. She also commands a force of ten {@creature Crawling Claw||crawling claws}. A pair of {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA|Tormentors} crewed by {@creature Mezzoloth||mezzoloths} provide escort."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Princeps Kovik",
							"page": 91,
							"id": "1e6",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/059-kyqim-03-11.webp"
									},
									"width": 751,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"This particularly cruel {@creature chain devil} commanded the Nine Hells' 8th Infantry Legion, \"Terror Incarnate,\" which was crushed on the banks of the River Styx by the demon lord {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}. Blaming its superiors for the defeat, {@creature Princeps Kovik|BGDIA} gathered the surviving members of its legion and formed the Eighth Remnant, a marauding gang of devils no longer beholden to the infernal hierarchy.",
								"The devils that serve under Kovik do so willingly because the chain devil has earned their trust. Newly disenfranchised devils regularly flock to Kovik's banner. The chain devil's emblem is the numeral 8 made out of iron chain on a crimson field. Kovik aims to gather enough strength and infernal war machines to do what no archdevil has been able to do: drive the demons back to the Abyss for good.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Eighth Remnant",
									"page": 91,
									"id": "1e7",
									"entries": [
										"The Eighth Remnant chases down any potential source of {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}. Targets who give up their {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} freely are allowed to continue on their way without further harassment, provided there are no demons lurking among them.",
										"Kovik has a {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA} and travels with two {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} on similar vehicles. The rest of the gang consists of four {@creature Barbed Devil||barbed devils} on a {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA} and eight {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} on a {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA}. Members of the Eighth Remnant never use demon ichor in their vehicles.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/060-l2faf-03-12.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 673
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Quest for the Sword",
					"page": 92,
					"id": "1e8",
					"entries": [
						"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s dreams lead the characters on a wild goose chase to Haruman's Hill in search of the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. Realizing that the Bleeding Citadel isn't where she remembers it, the hollyphant offers the characters a choice of paths. Both paths eventually lead to the Bleeding Citadel, but only through a combination of deal making, daring, and dumb luck.",
						"{@adventure Diagram 3.2|BGDIA|4|Spawning Trees} and {@adventure diagram 3.3|BGDIA|5|Demon Zapper} are flowcharts that show the two paths characters can take through Avernus to reach the Bleeding Citadel: the {@adventure Path of Demons|BGDIA|4} and the {@adventure Path of Devils|BGDIA|5}, respectively. Neither is literally a \"path,\" but rather a sequence of locations that the characters must visit in order. If the characters wander off these paths, use optional encounters to pull them back (see \"{@adventure Other Locations|BGDIA|6},\" and \"{@area Roaming Encounter: Smiler the Defiler|2bb|x}\").",
						"Each encounter location tied to a path has a recommended character level, as noted in {@adventure diagram 3.2|BGDIA|4|Spawning Trees} or {@adventure diagram 3.3|BGDIA|5|Demon Zapper}. If your group's average character level is lower than the recommended level of their destination, introduce some random encounters or reroute them to another location first to raise their level.",
						"Allow characters the opportunity to explore locations on the poster map of Avernus in any order they please, or let them jump back and forth between the paths as they see fit."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Haruman's Hill",
					"page": 92,
					"id": "1e9",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Behold! Zariel's dog crucified those who betrayed his mistress in battle}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"Haruman's Hill is marked on {@adventure map 3.1|BGDIA|3|Map 3.1: Avernus}. When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "1ea",
							"entries": [
								"Wrought iron trees line a trail that leads to the summit of a steep hill. Anguished knights are impaled on the trees' metal branches, their bodies writhing in torment as bloated stirges feast on their blood."
							]
						},
						"Haruman, a human paladin of Helm, was one of Zariel's most devoted Hellriders. He crucified deserters to Zariel's cause on \"Coward's Way,\" a line of tortured souls leading to this desolate hill. Each soul is pinned to a barbed, metal tree. Inscriptions above their heads attest that most of them were mortal knights who abandoned Zariel during her assault into Avernus. Flocks of {@creature Stirge||stirges} buzz between the branches, feasting hungrily on the screaming, crucified victims. The stirges attack the characters only if they try to free the captives (see \"{@area Haruman's Arrival|1ec|x}\" below). Roll {@dice 2d4} to determine the number of attacking stirges.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Jander Sunstar",
							"page": 93,
							"id": "1eb",
							"entries": [
								"Near the summit of the hill, the {@creature vampire} Jander Sunstar is impaled on one of the largest iron trees. This elf warrior, cursed to an eternity of undeath, tried to redeem his corrupted soul by swearing to hunt down his own kind. Later, he volunteered to join Zariel on her crusade into the Nine Hells. Stirges now swarm back and forth from Jander's body, preserving his existence by injecting him with the blood of his traitorous companions.",
								"Jander pleads for the characters to cut him down so that his soul can move on from this accursed place. He reveals the following information:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Jander and Haruman were both part of a host of warriors who joined the angel Zariel in her assault on the Nine Hells.",
										"After charging through the portal into Avernus, Jander panicked and fled back to Elturel. He betrayed his braver comrades by sealing the portal behind them.",
										"Jander and his fellow deserters never revealed their shameful retreat and betrayal of Zariel. It was a badge of shame that the Hellriders, as they were came to be known, would wear in secret until the grave.",
										"After years of anguish, Jander chose to face the sun and throw himself on Lathander's mercy. The prayer fell on deaf ears, and his soul was condemned to the Nine Hells to suffer for his sins."
									]
								},
								"When she beholds Jander impaled on the iron tree, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories of him return. She remembers his betrayal of Zariel and gives him a pitiful look. She then admits to the characters that she's made a mistake leading them here and needs to ponder her dreams in more detail to discern the Bleeding Citadel's whereabouts."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Haruman's Arrival",
							"page": 93,
							"id": "1ec",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters free Jander or any of his companions, their bodies crumble to dust in grateful release. In response, twenty {@creature Stirge||stirges} attack the group. When the second round of combat begins, any crucified souls remaining on the trees wail in terror as Haruman, a {@creature narzugon|MTF}, swoops down from the sky on his {@creature nightmare} steed to punish the interlopers. He begins the encounter 300 feet away and orders the nightmare to close the distance between him and the adventurers as quickly as possible. As Haruman attacks, a {@creature hellwasp|BGDIA} appears from a nearby nest and tries to grab {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and fly off with her (see \"Development\" below).",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/061-xw7mq-03-13.webp"
									},
									"title": "Haruman",
									"width": 540,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"If a character damages Haruman with an attack, a fresh tree bearing the character's name sprouts from the ground nearby, listing the character's crime as \"assaulting an officer.\" Any character who sees their name on a tree for the first time must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become {@condition frightened} of Haruman for 1 minute. A character who fails this saving throw can repeat it at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on them on a success.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 93,
									"id": "1ed",
									"entries": [
										"Haruman uses {@item infernal tack|MTF} to ride his nightmare."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 93,
									"id": "1ee",
									"entries": [
										"If the hellwasp abducts {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, it takes the hollyphant to its nest. If the characters wish to rescue {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, they must storm the nest (see \"{@area Hellwasp Nest|1ef|x}\").",
										"If the characters thwart the hellwasp's abduction of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, the hollyphant is grateful and apologizes for leading them to the wrong place, admitting that her memory of the Bleeding Citadel is hazier than she initially realized. Having pondered her dreams further, she says that two sites in Avernus seem important to finding the Citadel: a place where demons manifest (see \"{@area Spawning Trees|1fb|x}\"), and another where demons are destroyed (see \"{@area Demon Zapper|230|x}\"). {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has no preference which to investigate first, so she points out both locations on the characters' map and leaves the decision to the characters. Each of these locations opens a different branch of investigation that ultimately leads to the Bleeding Citadel. See {@adventure diagram 3.2|BGDIA|4|Spawning Trees} and {@adventure diagram 3.3|BGDIA|5|Demon Zapper} for overviews of the two paths\u2014the {@adventure Path of Demons|BGDIA|4} and the {@adventure Path of Devils|BGDIA|5}."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Hellwasp Nest",
					"page": 94,
					"id": "1ef",
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/062-eunqt-03-14.webp"
							},
							"width": 384,
							"height": 1000
						},
						"{@i Fallen angels are meat for hellwasps. Steer clear, lest you nourish their young with your flesh}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"Throughout Avernus, aggressive hellwasp colonies shape enormous nests from the cocooned carcasses of slain angels and other fallen celestials. Such structures are magically buoyant and must be tethered by chains to the surface of Avernus. The cocooned angels writhe unpleasantly from the motion of the larvae gorging on their insides, creating the false impression that they still live. Because of this, the mere sight of a hellwasp nest has been known to drive mortals mad. This entry describes a typical nest, such as the one {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is carried to from Haruman's Hill.",
						"When the characters encounter their first hellwasp nest, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "1f0",
							"entries": [
								"A gigantic sac of wet, papery material floats high above the surface of hell. Angelic figures with feathery wings stick to its surface like flies in amber, their bodies struggling futilely underneath layers of gunk. Iron chains at the bottom of the structure tether it to the hellish landscape."
							]
						},
						"A typical hellwasp nest contains eight {@creature Hellwasp|BGDIA|hellwasps}, although twice this number are typically out hunting when the characters arrive. If they paralyze every character in the party with their stings, the hellwasps move them to their larder at the top of the nest ({@area area N4|1f7|x}) to be used as food for their larvae.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Encounters in the Nest",
							"page": 94,
							"id": "1f1",
							"entries": [
								"The following descriptions correspond to the areas marked on map 3.2. A hellwasp nest has no stairs, so the characters must fly or use climbing gear to traverse between levels. Each level of the nest is basically one large chamber. Map 3.2 includes a side view of the nest that shows how the various levels stack atop one another.",
								"Map 3.2 shows where dead angels are entombed in the hellwasp nest's translucent walls. The angels' well-preserved corpses, which are visible to creatures inside the nest, keep the nest aloft. Removing them from the walls causes the nest to slowly sink to the ground.",
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/063-wlfs9-map-3-2.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 3.2: Hellwasp Nest",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 128,
												"offsetX": -9,
												"offsetY": -10
											},
											"id": "3ce",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "1f7",
													"points": [
														[
															422,
															1868
														],
														[
															415,
															1711
														],
														[
															378,
															1628
														],
														[
															480,
															1514
														],
														[
															591,
															1458
														],
														[
															689,
															1455
														],
														[
															754,
															1529
														],
														[
															843,
															1628
														],
														[
															923,
															1705
														],
														[
															975,
															1862
														],
														[
															1095,
															1975
														],
														[
															1228,
															2142
														],
														[
															1203,
															2302
														],
														[
															1022,
															2363
														],
														[
															874,
															2394
														],
														[
															822,
															2388
														],
														[
															705,
															2465
														],
														[
															535,
															2486
														],
														[
															255,
															2483
														],
														[
															209,
															2409
														],
														[
															268,
															2271
														],
														[
															197,
															2083
														],
														[
															326,
															1926
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "1f6",
													"points": [
														[
															1326,
															369
														],
														[
															1523,
															206
														],
														[
															1677,
															215
														],
														[
															1935,
															243
														],
														[
															2280,
															332
														],
														[
															2418,
															323
														],
														[
															2517,
															382
														],
														[
															2600,
															554
														],
														[
															2560,
															662
														],
														[
															2468,
															775
														],
														[
															2575,
															846
														],
														[
															2680,
															923
														],
														[
															2732,
															1043
														],
														[
															2745,
															1209
														],
														[
															2738,
															1338
														],
														[
															2791,
															1458
														],
														[
															2735,
															1643
														],
														[
															2600,
															1766
														],
														[
															2486,
															1772
														],
														[
															2394,
															1938
														],
														[
															2271,
															1954
														],
														[
															2123,
															1892
														],
														[
															1997,
															1772
														],
														[
															1985,
															1609
														],
														[
															1825,
															1489
														],
														[
															1640,
															1514
														],
														[
															1594,
															1354
														],
														[
															1455,
															1249
														],
														[
															1360,
															1154
														],
														[
															1388,
															1031
														],
														[
															1311,
															791
														],
														[
															1378,
															597
														],
														[
															1305,
															452
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "1f5",
													"points": [
														[
															3671,
															689
														],
														[
															3689,
															505
														],
														[
															3898,
															440
														],
														[
															4071,
															351
														],
														[
															4157,
															231
														],
														[
															4412,
															206
														],
														[
															4465,
															320
														],
														[
															4769,
															378
														],
														[
															4963,
															535
														],
														[
															5126,
															760
														],
														[
															5151,
															997
														],
														[
															5114,
															1089
														],
														[
															5191,
															1258
														],
														[
															5277,
															1517
														],
														[
															5191,
															1726
														],
														[
															5145,
															1920
														],
														[
															5009,
															1948
														],
														[
															4868,
															2049
														],
														[
															4788,
															2172
														],
														[
															4769,
															2345
														],
														[
															4686,
															2446
														],
														[
															4508,
															2529
														],
														[
															4295,
															2498
														],
														[
															4120,
															2446
														],
														[
															3892,
															2431
														],
														[
															3711,
															2277
														],
														[
															3720,
															2102
														],
														[
															3542,
															2052
														],
														[
															3508,
															1889
														],
														[
															3437,
															1674
														],
														[
															3523,
															1477
														],
														[
															3409,
															1298
														],
														[
															3443,
															969
														],
														[
															3545,
															852
														],
														[
															3625,
															778
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "1f2",
													"points": [
														[
															5065,
															3055
														],
														[
															4997,
															2858
														],
														[
															5025,
															2732
														],
														[
															5188,
															2649
														],
														[
															5302,
															2640
														],
														[
															5498,
															2649
														],
														[
															5542,
															2772
														],
														[
															5809,
															2852
														],
														[
															5871,
															2972
														],
														[
															5917,
															3182
														],
														[
															5806,
															3329
														],
														[
															5862,
															3486
														],
														[
															5917,
															3631
														],
														[
															5865,
															3729
														],
														[
															5726,
															3778
														],
														[
															5591,
															3677
														],
														[
															5378,
															3723
														],
														[
															5258,
															3658
														],
														[
															5117,
															3560
														],
														[
															4932,
															3535
														],
														[
															4868,
															3422
														],
														[
															4818,
															3280
														],
														[
															4929,
															3212
														],
														[
															5022,
															3182
														],
														[
															5040,
															3092
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/063-wlfs9-map-3-2.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/064-ok29m-map-3-2-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 128,
												"offsetX": -7,
												"offsetY": -8
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3ce"
											}
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "N1. Entry Level",
									"page": 94,
									"id": "1f2",
									"entries": [
										"The nest's entrance is on its underside, where one or more heavy chains tether the nest 100 feet above the surface of Avernus. The hellwasps keep this level mostly clear to avoid blocking off the hatcheries above. Even so, discarded gear accumulates here among the gory effluvia expelled from the wasps' devoured captives.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 94,
											"id": "1f3",
											"entries": [
												"Anyone searching through the junk finds a backpack containing five {@item Healer's Kit|PHB|healer's kits} and a fully charged {@item wand of magic missiles}."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Development",
											"page": 95,
											"id": "1f4",
											"entries": [
												"Too much noise here alerts the hellwasps in area N2. Creatures rooting through the junk must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) check or alert the wasps. Once the colony is placed on alert, call for initiative rolls. All the hellwasps act on the same initiative count. At the start of each of the hellwasps' turns, one {@creature hellwasp|BGDIA} arrives from area N2 to defend the nest until all three appear. The rest of the colony remains on high alert for two hours."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "N2. Drone Cells",
									"page": 95,
									"id": "1f5",
									"entries": [
										"This level is honeycombed with octagonal cells crafted by the hellwasps from a regurgitated mulch of bone, sand, and fat. Three {@creature Hellwasp|BGDIA|hellwasps} are here unless they were drawn to area N1 by the characters' intrusion."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "N3. Hellwasp Larvae",
									"page": 95,
									"id": "1f6",
									"entries": [
										"This level of the nest is always on high alert and contains three {@creature Hellwasp|BGDIA|hellwasps}.",
										"Hellwasp larvae are incubating inside the angel carcasses on this level. If a character takes piercing or slashing damage within 15 feet of an angel carcass or moves within 5 feet of one, the carcass explodes and releases {@dice 2d6} hostile {@creature hellwasp grub|bgdia|hellwasp grubs} (use the {@creature giant centipede} stat block to represent them)."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "N4. Larder",
									"page": 95,
									"id": "1f7",
									"entries": [
										"The hellwasps gum their victims to the walls of this level using the same regurgitated bile that forms their nest. Two {@creature Hellwasp|BGDIA|hellwasps} are stationed here at all hours.",
										"If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} was abducted and brought to the nest, the characters find her here, stuck to a wall (see \"Development\" below). Any creature that ends up gummed to the walls can use an action to try to free itself, doing so with a successful DC 20 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check. A character can also make this check to pull free a companion within its reach.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 95,
											"id": "1f8",
											"entries": [
												"Ruined gear belonging to previous abductees is scattered across the floor. Characters who search through the gear find three {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} and a {@item helm of telepathy}."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Development",
											"page": 95,
											"id": "1f9",
											"entries": [
												"If the characters free {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, she admits that her memory of the Bleeding Citadel is hazier than she initially realized. Having pondered her dreams further, she says that two sites in Avernus seem important to finding the Citadel: a place where demons manifest (see \"{@area Spawning Trees|1fb|x}\"), and another where demons are destroyed (see \"{@area Demon Zapper|230|x}\"). {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has no preference which to investigate first, so she points out both locations on the characters' map and leaves the decision to them. Each of these locations opens a different branch of investigation that leads to the Bleeding Citadel. See {@adventure diagram 3.2|BGDIA|4|Spawning Trees} for an overview of the {@adventure Path of Demons|BGDIA|4} and {@adventure diagram 3.3|BGDIA|5|Demon Zapper} for an overview of the {@adventure Path of Devils|BGDIA|5}."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 3: Avernus - Path of Demons",
			"page": 96,
			"id": "1fa",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Spawning Trees",
					"page": 96,
					"id": "1fb",
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/065-1fckv-flowchart-3-2.webp"
							},
							"title": "Diagram 3.2: Path of Demons",
							"width": 552,
							"height": 1500
						},
						"{@i Demons beget demons. Where their filth lands, they spawn ever more corruption}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive here, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "1fc",
							"entries": [
								"Treelike growths cluster along the shoreline of a lake of bubbling, black goo. Each growth is formed from the same ichor as the lake and has writhing, membranous sacs budding from its limbs.",
								"Five bearded fiends heap coals around the trunk of one of the trees. As they hurl more coals onto the pyre, four of their number cruelly poke and tease the fifth member of their group."
							]
						},
						"Lakes of demonic ichor appear where demons are slaughtered in great numbers. Malformed trees grow on their shorelines, their branches laden with fleshy sacs. These eventually flop to the ground and wetly break open, each one releasing a fully grown {@creature abyssal chicken|BGDIA}. Abyssal chickens are carnivorous, temperamental, tasty bottom-feeders native to the Abyss. They beat their leathery wings to scare predators and to help them run faster, and they taste like fatty chicken.",
						"With your permission, a character who casts the {@spell find familiar} spell can henceforth choose to conjure an abyssal chicken instead of a raven.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Devilish Work Crew",
							"page": 96,
							"id": "1fd",
							"entries": [
								"Zariel dispatched infernal cleanup crews to scour the lake shores for the trees and destroy them before they become thickets. When the characters arrive, they encounter a work crew of five {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} in the process of raising a pyre around a tree to incinerate it. Four of the devils tease the fifth, whose name is Krikendolt. A vrock savaged Krikendolt's skull during one of the many battles of the Blood War, leaving him with terrible scars and a brain injury that has turned his alignment to chaotic good. Krikendolt's comrades learned that he pities the abyssal chickens, and they are now goading him into slaughtering the chickens on pain of death. Secretly, Krikendolt keeps an {@creature abyssal chicken|BGDIA} named Earwax in his sack.",
								"The devils are likely to attack on sight unless a character can convince them to parley with a successful DC 12 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check. The devils won't forgive their comrade for his compassion, but the characters could persuade them to release Krikendolt into their care if they offer the right price. Krikendolt knows Avernus well, so he makes a good traveling companion and guide. The characters can cure Krikendolt of his disorder using a {@spell heal} spell or similar magic, which restores his lawful evil alignment.",
								"The devils don't know where the Bleeding Citadel is, but they do know someone who could help. For the price of a {@item soul coin|BGDIA}, the devils direct the group to a mysterious outlander (see \"Development\" below). If the characters are unable to pay, they must return later with the coin and track down the fiends on the lake shore.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 97,
									"id": "1fe",
									"entries": [
										"The fiends carry five {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} and three vials of {@area demon ichor|1a7|x}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 97,
									"id": "1ff",
									"entries": [
										"The fiends tell the characters about a powerful mage who visits Avernus from other planes and often pays yugoloths for their protection. If anyone knows where to find this Bleeding Citadel, it's surely Mordenkainen! The fiends mark the location of the wizard's tower on the players' map of Avernus. Following this lead takes the group to the Tower of Urm.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/066-636997675080825896.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Abyssal Chicken|BGDIA}",
											"width": 320,
											"height": 616
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Tower of Urm",
					"page": 97,
					"id": "200",
					"entries": [
						"{@i A tower tumbles between planes on the whims of a mad mage. Where it goes next, nobody knows}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"The Tower of Urm jaunts across the multiverse. It is present in Avernus only if the characters arrive here after speaking to the fiends in the cleanup crew (see \"{@area Spawning Trees|1fb|x}\" above).",
						"If the characters arrive when the Tower of Urm is present, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "201",
							"entries": [
								"An iron tower rises atop an island on a lake of boiling blood. No windows penetrate the tower's walls, and its only visible door opens onto a high balcony. Red lightning crackles constantly between two horns of metal on the tower's roof."
							]
						},
						"Mordenkainen, a chaotic neutral human {@creature archmage}, often sojourns to Avernus to study how the Nine Hells affect the schools of magic. This archmage of Oerth leads a powerful group of adventurers called the Circle of Eight and has authored several planar tomes. He has also crafted many renowned spells.",
						"Mordenkainen takes the tower with him when he leaves Avernus. Its empty iron foundations remain behind to mark the site, and when the tower returns, it locks itself into place with a satisfying clunk. Mordenkainen pays yugoloths to carry out his bidding in Avernus. His wages are so attractive that these fiends have taken to gathering outside his tower. There are nine {@creature Mezzoloth||mezzoloths} and three {@creature Nycaloth||nycaloths} present here at any time. The fiends aren't looking for trouble, since they're more interested in landing a lucrative contract with the mage.",
						"Two of the nycaloths\u2014Torgrazk and Shraal\u2014are loyal to Zariel and have been sent here to assassinate Mordenkainen. If they overhear his discussions with the characters, the assassins decide to alter their plans. Both fiends turn {@condition invisible} and follow the party in hope of an opportunity to kidnap one or more characters and deliver them to Zariel. If they succeed, Zariel invites the rest of the group to her flying fortress to negotiate terms for their comrades' release (see \"{@area Zariel's Flying Fortress|2b0|x}\").",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Talking to Mordenkainen",
							"page": 98,
							"id": "202",
							"entries": [
								"Mordenkainen is a stern, bald man with a neatly trimmed black goatee beard and a penetrating stare. When his tower arrives in Avernus, Mordenkainen steps out onto the balcony to address the fiends gathered below. Fights frequently break out between the yugoloths as they jostle for his attention.",
								"Zariel's assassins often lurk here, so Mordenkainen presents a {@spell simulacrum} of his true self that disintegrates into a pile of snow if it is destroyed. The real archmage remains deep inside his tower and swiftly shunts the building to another plane in times of danger.",
								"If the characters make themselves known to Mordenkainen's simulacrum, he demands to know their reasons for visiting. The archmage doesn't know the location of the Bleeding Citadel, nor does he care to find it. Even so, he claims that \"balance will be maintained in the universe\" by giving the characters directions to a lesser mage who also studies the workings of magic in Avernus\u2014specifically, a \"mage of no renown\" who haunts the site of an obelisk. The yugoloths recently told Mordenkainen about this stranger and his guidance has an ulterior motive: if the characters end up slaying the mysterious mage, Mordenkainen has one less rival to contend with in Avernus."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Obelisk",
					"page": 98,
					"id": "203",
					"entries": [
						"{@i An unknown man with unknown purpose. Assist him at your peril, lest he drag you into madness}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "204",
							"entries": [
								"A thirty-foot-tall obelisk ringed by seven smaller standing stones rises from the crest of this hill. A tall man wearing tattered robes strides between the standing stones, gesticulating wildly and screaming curses into the wind."
							]
						},
						"The pit fiend {@creature Bel|BGDIA} imprisoned the {@creature barlgura} demon Ubbalux inside this circle of standing stones. To torment his adversary, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} revealed that the secret to escaping the prison was hidden in the arcane runes etched across the standing stones. Ever since, the tormented demon has tried futilely to solve the riddle and escape. The figure pacing the standing stones is Ubbalux masquerading in human form using a {@spell disguise self} spell. The magic of the obelisk prevents the demon from leaving the circle and stops any form of divination magic from affecting the stones or targeting a creature inside their perimeter.",
						"Ubbalux appears as a tall human wizard. The demon stole this appearance from the last visitor to stray into his stones (after Ubbalux ate him). If the characters approach, the \"wizard\" greets them eagerly and is keen to divulge details of his studies, but his conversation often trails off on confusing tangents. The following information can be gleaned by speaking with the false wizard:",
						{
							"type": "list",
							"items": [
								"The wizard claims that he no longer recalls his name or place of origin.",
								"If asked about the Bleeding Citadel, the wizard promises to direct the characters to \"someone who can help,\" provided they help him solve the enigma of the obelisk first."
							]
						},
						"Ubbalux can truly help the characters find the path to the Bleeding Citadel, but the demon hopes to manipulate the characters into releasing it from its prison first. If they become aware of its ruse, the demon admits to the deception and pleads for their help (see \"Development\" below).",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "A Wizard's Theory",
							"page": 98,
							"id": "205",
							"entries": [
								"The wizard claims that each standing stone is keyed to one of the eight schools of magic (abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation). His theory suggests that the central obelisk grants a boost in arcane power to mages across the cosmos, and he urges the characters to aid him in empowering it. In truth, Ubbalux has concocted this theory to dupe the characters into testing his latest escape plan. Characters who examine the standing stones and succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check discern that the arcane runes do indeed relate to the eight schools of magic.",
								"The wizard requests that each character places a hand upon a different stone, to \"assist in channeling the streams of magic.\" When their hands are in place, Ubbalux begins to chant. The air fills with ozone as lightning courses over the standing stones. Each character who participates in the experiment takes 22 ({@dice 5d8}) lightning damage and suffers an additional effect based on the school of magic associated with the standing stone that the character touched, as noted in the Standing Stone Effects table. Ubbalux's latest attempt to escape his prison has failed.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Standing Stone Effects",
									"page": 98,
									"id": "206",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "table",
											"colLabels": [
												"School",
												"Effect"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-1",
												"col-11"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"Abjuration",
													"You gain a +2 bonus to AC for the next 24 hours."
												],
												[
													"Conjuration",
													"A {@creature monodrone} appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you and follows you around until it's destroyed. It is indifferent toward all creatures, including you."
												],
												[
													"Divination",
													"You gain the benefits of a {@spell true seeing} spell for the next hour."
												],
												[
													"Enchantment",
													"The standing stone casts {@spell confusion} on you (save DC 15). The spell lasts for 1 minute."
												],
												[
													"Evocation",
													"The standing stone casts {@spell magic missile}, targeting you with five missiles."
												],
												[
													"Illusion",
													"An illusory swarm of harmless bats or pigeons (DM's choice) flutters over your head for the next hour. A {@spell dispel magic} cast on the swarm ends the effect."
												],
												[
													"Necromancy",
													"You also take 30 necrotic damage from the standing stone."
												],
												[
													"Transmutation",
													"Your skin turns blue for the next 24 hours. A {@spell remove curse} spell ends the effect on you."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 99,
									"id": "207",
									"entries": [
										"Dropping its disguise, the barlgura demon implores the characters to seek out Mephistopheles and return with an answer to his puzzle. The barlgura then gives them directions to a magic mirror (the Mirror of Mephistar) that can be used to gaze into Cania and contact the archdevil. If the characters win over Mephistopheles, Ubbalux promises to guide them to someone who can help them find the Bleeding Citadel."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Mirror of Mephistar",
					"page": 99,
					"id": "208",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Mirror, mirror, made of ice\u2014look within, but at what price}?",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "209",
							"entries": [
								"A giant slab of ice is wedged at the end of this craggy ravine. Through its surface, you glimpse a glacial landscape draped in snow."
							]
						},
						"Anyone who gazes into the surface of this 20-foot-tall mirror of ice sees their reflection as soulless, haggard, and encrusted with rime. This apparition stands in a frozen tundra, desolate save for a tower of ice far in the distance. Characters who succeed on a DC 25 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check recognize the tower as Mephistar, lair of the archdevil Mephistopheles.",
						"Any character who witnesses their reflection in the mirror must succeed on a DC 20 Intelligence saving throw or become {@condition stunned} for 1 minute. As they gaze {@condition stunned} into their reflection's eyes, Mephistopheles gains access to all their thoughts, fears, and knowledge, learning of their mission to retrieve Zariel's sword and free Elturel (see \"Development\" below).",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Emissary",
							"page": 99,
							"id": "20a",
							"entries": [
								"Shortly after arriving here, the characters see one of Mephistopheles's emissaries in the mirror: a {@creature cambion} named Rigorath. The emissary, only visible in the icy world beyond the mirror, swoops down from the direction of the tower. His skin is cadaver-blue, and his face is frozen in a scream. Rigorath holds a kettle of steaming water in one hand. Before speaking, he pours the boiling water over his face to thaw it out. After each utterance, the ice spreads over his face again, freezing into an expression of pained anguish.",
								"Rigorath can perceive the characters though the mirror but can't pass through its surface, nor can the characters pass through the mirror or target Rigorath with spells or attacks. Rigorath tries to broker an infernal pact with the characters on behalf of his master Mephistopheles, offering them knowledge and power in return for their assistance:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"To fulfill their end of the bargain, the characters must dam the flow of the River Styx where it spills into a nearby slime-filled chasm (see \"{@area Pit of Shummrath|20d|x}\").",
										"If the characters fulfill their side of the bargain, Rigorath grants them rare knowledge: a secret they desire and a permanent +1 increase to each character's Intelligence or Wisdom score.",
										"Characters who came here from the Obelisk (see \"{@area The Obelisk|203|x}\") can bargain with Rigorath for the means to release Ubbalux from the standing stones. In this case, his terms are the same."
									]
								},
								"Rigorath refuses to explain why Mephistopheles wants the River Styx dammed. His master is wary of angering Zariel and refuses to grant directions to the Bleeding Citadel. If the characters agree to Mephistopheles's pact, Rigorath etches the terms onto the surface of the mirror. The words form into chunks of ice on the group's side, which Rigorath instructs them to chisel off, melt, and then drink to seal the bargain.",
								"To aid the characters with damming the River Styx, the emissary crafts an {@creature imp} out of snow, which hops through the mirror to join them. This imp has immunity to cold damage and carries a sling bag containing five {@item shatterstick|bgdia|shattersticks} (see the \"{@area Shattersticks|20c|x}\" sidebar) that it can use to demolish the riverbank. The imp is focused on his task, dislikes procrastination, and spits shards of ice when annoyed. The imp can guide the characters to the chasm of the Pit of Shummrath.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 99,
									"id": "20b",
									"entries": [
										"If Mephistopheles learns of the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, the archdevil orders the imp to follow the group invisibly after it completes its demolition work and report back when they've located the Bleeding Citadel. At that point, Mephistopheles sends an {@creature ice devil} into Avernus with orders to murder the characters and steal the sword. If he gets the sword, Mephistopheles plans to use the artifact as leverage against Zariel in future dealings.",
										{
											"type": "inset",
											"name": "Shatterstick",
											"page": 99,
											"id": "20c",
											"entries": [
												"A shatterstick is a nonmagical, 12-inch-long, 4-pound stake made of blue-tinged infernal iron mined on Cania, the eighth layer of the Nine Hells. When embedded in earth or pounded into solid rock, the stake emits a seismic vibration in a 20-foot radius centered on itself for 1 minute, shaking the ground in that area for the duration. When the effects ends, the shatterstick breaks apart, becoming useless, and all structures within 20 feet of it take 35 ({@dice 10d6}) bludgeoning damage."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Pit of Shummrath",
					"page": 100,
					"id": "20d",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Here you find a sticky situation. Poor Shummrath isn't the fiend it used to be}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "20e",
							"entries": [
								"A deep rift slashes across the surface of Avernus for as far as the eye can see. The canyon is over a mile deep and filled with a lake of green slime that undulates as though breathing. From a nearby cliff, a tributary of the River Styx cascades down into the slime.",
								"Dangling from a bent iron crane that leans out over the chasm is an iron cage containing a hairless, green-skinned humanoid wearing shackles on its ankles. The crane lowers the cage by a chain into the slime, immersing the creature in the goo for a minute before hoisting it back out. This dunking continues again and again, and the trapped creature seems helpless to stop it."
							]
						},
						"Long ago, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} imprisoned a rival pit fiend named Shummrath at the bottom of this deep chasm. Over the years, Shummrath has been reduced to a fetid lake of slime. Ancient regenerative properties maintain some semblance of life within the sludge, allowing visitors to communicate with Shummrath telepathically. However, a tributary stream from the River Styx has spilled into his canyon and polluted the devil's mind. Shummrath now only retains thirty seconds of memory and conveys a single thought repeatedly.",
						"Those who establish communication with Shummrath discover that the devil repeats the same thought over and again: it failed to show proper deference to {@creature Bel|BGDIA} and will have its revenge. Shummrath can talk to the characters telepathically, but his mind unerringly loops back to this same vengeful thought.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Imprisoned Ultroloth",
							"page": 100,
							"id": "20f",
							"entries": [
								"When the characters arrive here, they spot an {@creature ultroloth} imprisoned in the iron cage suspended over the chasm. The iron crane has a magically powered winch mechanism that repeatedly dunks the cage into the goo, nearly drowning the prisoner with each submersion. The ultroloth, Baazit, is bound by {@item dimensional shackles} that prevent it from teleporting away.",
								"Baazit contacts the characters telepathically as soon as they're in range. The ultroloth was imprisoned by a pit fiend for stealing {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}. Baazit promises to show the characters how to form magical servants from the goo if they free it. Baazit can also direct the group to {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s forge (see \"{@area Bel's Forge|251|x}\").",
								"A character can jam the crane's winch with a crowbar or similar tool, preventing it from lowering or raising Baazit's cage. Once the cage stops moving, a character can try to use {@item thieves' tools|phb} to unlock the cage door, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. A {@spell knock} spell or similar magic also unlocks the cage door.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Creating a Homunculus",
									"page": 100,
									"id": "210",
									"entries": [
										"Characters can follow Baazit's instructions to scoop out a handful of the slime and spend an hour molding it into a tiny humanoid shape. At the end of this time, the slime animates as a loyal, lawful evil {@creature homunculus} made of dripping green jelly. Each character can only have one of these servants active at a time. If a character makes a second homunculus, the first one melts into a sticky puddle of inanimate goo."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 100,
									"id": "211",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who free or slay Baazit can claim the {@item dimensional shackles} that restrain it."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Damming the Styx",
							"page": 100,
							"id": "212",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters are traveling with the ice imp (see \"{@area Mirror of Mephistar|208|x}\"), it leads them to the narrowest point of the Styx's tributary river and sets about hammering its five shattersticks into the rocky ravine walls (see the \"{@area Shatterstick|20c|x}\" sidebar). The imp asks the characters to stand guard while it works. As the imp places the shattersticks, eight {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} swoop down and attack. One minute after the last shatterstick is activated, the combined seismic activity of all the shattersticks triggers a huge rockfall that fills the gully, creating a dam.",
								"With the polluted River Styx cut off from the chasm, Shummrath slowly starts to regenerate its mind and reform its body. After 48 hours, Shummrath reforms as a {@creature pit fiend} and flies off to wage war on his rival, {@creature Bel|BGDIA}. If the characters visit {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s forge later in the adventure (see \"{@area Bel's Forge|251|x}\"), they find it under siege from Shummrath's hastily mustered forces. The attackers are quickly overwhelmed, forcing Shummrath to retreat to some far corner of Avernus to escape {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s wrath.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 100,
									"id": "213",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters successfully dam the River Styx, they can return to the Mirror of Mephistar to claim recompense. Rigorath the cambion tells them that Ubbalux must swear fealty to Mephistopheles to escape the standing stones. If Ubbalux does as Rigorath suggests, swearing its undying fealty to Mephistopheles, the archdevil makes it possible for the barlgura to escape.",
										"If the characters return to the obelisk with the news, Ubbalux begrudgingly accepts these terms and reveals the location of the Crypt of the Hellriders on the players' map. Ubbalux says that the death knight Olanthius, guardian of the tomb, knows the secret location of the Bleeding Citadel. The demon also reveals that \"For Glory\" is the pass phrase to open to the catacombs, where many of Zariel's fallen comrades are interned.",
										"As the characters leave the obelisk, they witness Ubbalux swear fealty to Mephistopheles, whereupon black ice forms around the standing stones and causes them all to crack at once. Ubbalux is able to leave the ring of standing stones at that point, crying \"Finally! I am free!\" into the howling wind."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Crypt of the Hellriders",
					"page": 101,
					"id": "214",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Zariel's fallen companions cannot rest. Nobody can in this nightmare hellscape}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "215",
							"entries": [
								"Acrid smog swirls around a barren hill, rising from which like giant tombstones are a pair of leaning monoliths, each soaring more than fifty feet into the smoky red sky. Dozens of armored knights kneel in motionless reverence before the monoliths, between which a set of onyx steps leads down under the hill."
							]
						},
						"The onyx steps descend into catacombs containing the remains of Hellriders who died fighting at Zariel's side. Their restless spirits yearn for peace yet are doomed to haunt this place until once more called to arms.",
						"Dozens of dead knights kneel before the monoliths, their foreheads resting on the pommels of their swords. The knights' armor serves as caskets for their bones, yet their corpses stay upright as though in prayer. Each knight wears the faded regalia of Elturel.",
						{
							"type": "gallery",
							"images": [
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/067-veqr1-map-3-3.webp"
									},
									"title": "Map 3.3: Crypt of the Hellriders",
									"width": 5754,
									"height": 4000,
									"imageType": "map",
									"grid": {
										"type": "square",
										"size": 136,
										"offsetX": 57,
										"offsetY": -54
									},
									"id": "3cf",
									"mapRegions": [
										{
											"area": "217",
											"points": [
												[
													2763,
													86
												],
												[
													2763,
													606
												],
												[
													2929,
													606
												],
												[
													2929,
													86
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													1425,
													486
												],
												[
													1425,
													1166
												],
												[
													2111,
													1166
												],
												[
													2111,
													486
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													3458,
													495
												],
												[
													3748,
													502
												],
												[
													4003,
													775
												],
												[
													4003,
													1308
												],
												[
													3458,
													1308
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													1714,
													1418
												],
												[
													1714,
													2142
												],
												[
													2772,
													2142
												],
												[
													2772,
													1418
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													603,
													1695
												],
												[
													603,
													2655
												],
												[
													1037,
													2655
												],
												[
													1037,
													1695
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "21b",
											"points": [
												[
													1129,
													1705
												],
												[
													1129,
													2135
												],
												[
													1588,
													2135
												],
												[
													1588,
													1705
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "21b",
											"points": [
												[
													1185,
													2237
												],
												[
													1185,
													2708
												],
												[
													1566,
													2708
												],
												[
													1566,
													2237
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "222",
											"points": [
												[
													1022,
													2775
												],
												[
													1022,
													3212
												],
												[
													1434,
													3212
												],
												[
													1434,
													2775
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													1689,
													2246
												],
												[
													1689,
													3338
												],
												[
													2243,
													3338
												],
												[
													2243,
													2246
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													2363,
													3077
												],
												[
													3175,
													3098
												],
												[
													3197,
													3348
												],
												[
													3594,
													3751
												],
												[
													2363,
													3723
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "21d",
											"points": [
												[
													2926,
													1849
												],
												[
													3314,
													1868
												],
												[
													3314,
													2658
												],
												[
													2649,
													2658
												],
												[
													2649,
													2390
												],
												[
													2926,
													2390
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "21b",
											"points": [
												[
													3443,
													1403
												],
												[
													3443,
													1880
												],
												[
													3898,
													1880
												],
												[
													3898,
													1403
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "224",
											"points": [
												[
													4658,
													206
												],
												[
													4658,
													625
												],
												[
													5095,
													625
												],
												[
													5095,
													206
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "220",
											"points": [
												[
													4529,
													760
												],
												[
													4840,
													775
												],
												[
													5215,
													1185
												],
												[
													5218,
													2397
												],
												[
													4966,
													2394
												],
												[
													4529,
													1988
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "219",
											"points": [
												[
													3600,
													2929
												],
												[
													3600,
													3480
												],
												[
													4951,
													3480
												],
												[
													4951,
													2929
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"area": "222",
											"points": [
												[
													5065,
													2926
												],
												[
													5065,
													3483
												],
												[
													5505,
													3483
												],
												[
													5505,
													2926
												]
											]
										}
									],
									"hrefThumbnail": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/067-veqr1-map-3-3.webp"
									}
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/068-swsdq-map-3-3-player.webp"
									},
									"title": "Player Version",
									"width": 5649,
									"height": 4000,
									"imageType": "mapPlayer",
									"grid": {
										"type": "square",
										"size": 128,
										"offsetX": -16,
										"offsetY": 14
									},
									"mapParent": {
										"id": "3cf",
										"autoScale": true
									}
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Encounters in the Crypt",
							"page": 101,
							"id": "216",
							"entries": [
								"The following descriptions correspond to areas marked on map 3.3. The entire crypt is terribly cold and wreathed in ankle-deep mist. All rooms and passages in the crypt are 10 feet tall and hewn from solid rock.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C1. Sealed Gates",
									"page": 101,
									"id": "217",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters descend into the catacombs, read:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "218",
											"entries": [
												"A pair of basalt doors block the passage ahead, their surfaces engraved with a relief of a knight locked in combat with a devil. Both wield burning swords."
											]
										},
										"The doors do not have visible handles, locks, or bolts, and they are magically locked, hardened, and enchanted to resist magic. Any spell cast to unlock, damage, or re-mold the doors automatically fails. Characters can use {@spell dimension door} or similar magic to get past the doors. They can also slip through the cracks between the doors if they have the magic to do so (such as the {@spell gaseous form} spell). Otherwise, they'll need the speak the pass phrase \"For Glory\" to proceed any farther. Characters can learn the pass phrase from Ubbalux the barlgura (as discussed in the \"{@area Pit of Shummrath|20d|x}\" section).",
										"If a character speaks the pass phrase aloud within 10 feet of the doors, the doors slowly grind open. The doors close on their own after 1 hour unless they are held or wedged open."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C2. Funerary Chambers",
									"page": 102,
									"id": "219",
									"entries": [
										"There are several funerary chambers in the catacombs. When the characters enter one of these rooms, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "21a",
											"entries": [
												"Large iron burial urns are positioned reverently throughout this hall, each engraved with a noble coats-of-arms from the city of Elturel. Polished swords, lances, and shields hang from racks on the walls."
											]
										},
										"If a character says respectful words over the urns or disturb them in any way, three {@creature Ghost||ghosts} of Zariel's knights arise from their remains. The ghosts solemnly reveal the following information:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"The knights fought and died alongside the angel Zariel when she waged war in Avernus.",
												"Zariel's crusade ended in failure. Most of their generals, including the angel herself, fell to evil and transformed into fiends.",
												"One of Zariel's generals, Olanthius, killed himself rather than embrace tyranny. Zariel raised him as a death knight to ensure his loyalty.",
												"The knights' souls are cursed to remain here. They yearn for the afterlife, but the oath they swore to Zariel binds them to her service. They beg the characters to help them find rest."
											]
										},
										"If the characters promise to help the ghosts achieve their final rest, the ghosts provide the following additional information:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Olanthius despises Zariel but is supernaturally bound to her service. The ghosts suggest there is still good in him.",
												"Olanthius keeps quarters here in the catacombs. His rooms may contain evidence of his humanity that the characters can use to appeal to him."
											]
										},
										"Once summoned, the ghosts remain by their urns until the characters leave the catacombs or free their souls. If a character defiles any remains, the ghosts use their Possession powers to drive the trespassers from the catacombs."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C3. Knights' Caskets",
									"page": 102,
									"id": "21b",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters approach one of these areas, read:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "21c",
											"entries": [
												"Recesses in the walls hold iron burial caskets. Each casket has a single, healthy red rose resting on its lid."
											]
										},
										"Each of these corridors contains six caskets arranged in stacked pairs.",
										"Being entombed in Avernus has corrupted the spirits of these knights. Each casket contains a single {@creature wraith} magically held at bay by the rose laid on the casket. If a character removes a rose from a casket, the flower immediately withers and dies, and the wraith arises from the casket to attack any living creature or fiend that it sees. A wraith can't touch any of the roses on the other caskets."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C4. Warlocks' Tomb",
									"page": 102,
									"id": "21d",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters peer into this room, read:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "21e",
											"entries": [
												"An iron urn heaped with human bones squats in an alcove at one end of this hall. On the wall nearby, a carved relief shows a column of mounted knights charging through a portal into a fiery hellscape."
											]
										},
										"Zariel's warlocks helped build the Crypt of the Hellriders to gain infernal power in their mortal world. When they died, their cursed bodies were dragged into Avernus to guard the tomb for eternity. Eight {@creature mummy||mummies} now lurk inside this chamber and guard the path to the memorial steles. If the undead hear the characters elsewhere in the catacombs, they hide inside the large urn to the west. When the characters enter, they try to creep out silently and ambush them.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 102,
											"id": "21f",
											"entries": [
												"One of the mummies carries a {@item wand of secrets}, and another wears a {@item necklace of fireballs}. If the characters defeat the undead, they can claim these items for themselves."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C5. Memorial Steles",
									"page": 102,
									"id": "220",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this room, read:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "221",
											"entries": [
												"Four memorial steles stand in this hall, each engraved with hundreds of names. A legend etched at the top of each stele reads, in Common: \"Here lie the fallen. May their souls echo here until the end of time.\"",
												"Adorning the wall across from the steles is a carved relief showing a solemn, blindfolded angel on the back of a mammoth with feathered wings. The mammoth is reared up on its hind legs, and the angel holds her sword high. All around them are the broken bodies of fallen knights and devils."
											]
										},
										"Characters who use {@spell detect magic} or similar magic to examine the steles discern a strong aura of necromantic magic emanating from the engraved names.",
										"While the steles remain empowered, necrotic energy lashes out at anyone who touches them. A creature touching a stele must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 ({@dice 8d8}) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the soulbound parchments in both ritual rooms (area C6) are destroyed, the steles deactivate. The characters can then free the warriors' souls by striking their names from the stone. As the names are removed, the knights' ghosts fade from view with gasps of relief. If all the names are struck from the stele, each character gains the benefit of a {@spell bless} spell that lasts for 24 hours."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C6. Ritual Rooms",
									"page": 102,
									"id": "222",
									"entries": [
										"These two rooms are hidden behind secret doors. Characters with passive Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) scores of 15 or higher spot a secret door within 5 feet of them. Otherwise, a secret door can be found by a character who examines the surrounding wall and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check.",
										"These rooms are magically shielded against undead creatures, such that undead can't enter either room or even perceive its presence. Each ritual room appears to contain nothing more than ankle-deep mist. However, any character who explores a ritual room disturbs the mist enough to see features hidden underneath it:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "223",
											"entries": [
												"As you disturb the ankle-deep mist, it parts to reveal a ritual circle daubed in blood on the floor. Hundreds of slivers of parchment are arranged within it, each tiny strip bearing a name written neatly in blood."
											]
										},
										"The papers name every warrior interned in this place. Any character who has seen the steles in {@area area C5|220|x} can, with a successful DC 14 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check, discern the papers' purpose: they bind the warriors' souls to the steles and compel them to serve Zariel in undeath by the terms of their original oath to her. By destroying the papers, the characters deactivate the memorial steles and can release the knights' souls from servitude (see {@area area C5|220|x} for details)."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "C7. Olanthius's Retreat",
									"page": 103,
									"id": "224",
									"entries": [
										"This room is hidden behind a secret door. Characters with passive Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) scores of 15 or higher spot the secret door once they get within 5 feet of it. Otherwise, it can be found by a character who examines the surrounding wall and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check. If the characters open the secret door, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "225",
											"entries": [
												"A stack of eight leather-bound journals rests atop a large writing table in this cramped chamber."
											]
										},
										"The journals belong to Olanthius the death knight and are written in Common. Characters who spend a short rest poring over the journals learn the following information:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Olanthius never recovered from Zariel's capitulation to Asmodeus and subsequent transformation into a devil. He blames himself for not seeing warning signs of Zariel's fall from grace early on\u2014her single-minded determination to slay demons at all costs.",
												"Olanthius took his life rather than face damnation, but he was transformed into an undead monster by Zariel to serve her forevermore.",
												"Olanthius describes Haruman, his one-time comrade in arms, as a heartless man bereft of compassion\u2014now a devil bent on punishing anyone who stands in Zariel's way.",
												"Olanthius mourns the deaths of his fallen warriors and feels powerless to help them.",
												"Olanthius speaks well of General Yael, whom he clearly respects and secretly adores. In one journal, Olanthius hints that he knows where Yael hid the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} but fails to note the location."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Olanthius Returns",
							"page": 103,
							"id": "226",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters desecrate any of the tombs or disturb the journals in {@area area C7|224|x}, Olanthius the {@creature death knight} returns to the crypt on a chariot pulled by two {@creature Gorgon||gorgons}. Olanthius is bound to protect the crypt and can be summoned from anywhere in Avernus to fulfill his duties. He descends below ground to hunt down intruders and interrogate them, leaving the gorgons and chariot outside.",
								"As Olanthius moves through the catacombs, he compels any ghosts he encounters to fight at his side. Any ghosts that the characters summoned from the urns in the funerary chambers ({@area area C2|219|x}) transform into {@creature Specter||specters} under Olanthius's command and join him on his hunt.",
								"Olanthius is an extraordinarily powerful foe for 9th-level characters. Fortunately, the characters can avoid combat with the death knight once they realize he's willing to help them.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 103,
									"id": "227",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who parley with Olanthius can gain a valuable ally in the fight against Zariel. To stand any chance of swaying the death knight to their cause, the characters must have read his journals and learned of his hatred for Zariel. Otherwise, he tries to annihilate them for their impudence.",
										"Olanthius is willing to reveal the Bleeding Citadel's location only if the characters create a diversion to distract Zariel. The characters must seek out the demon lord {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}, who is imprisoned in Avernus and whose hammer Zariel stole. If freed, the demon lord is sure to want its weapon back, which should create the diversion that Olanthius needs.",
										"The Arches of Ulloch can transport the characters to {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}'s Maw, where the demon lord is being held, provided the characters have a clear destination in mind as they pass through the arches. Olanthius provides directions to the Arches of Ulloch and can point to that location, as well as the location of {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}'s Maw, on the characters' map.",
										"Once {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} is released, the characters can report back to Olanthius at the Crypt of the Hellriders, whereupon he reveals the Bleeding Citadel's location."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Arches of Ulloch",
					"page": 103,
					"id": "228",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Only fools step through Ulloch's gates. They lead to nowhere a wise person wants to go}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "229",
							"entries": [
								"Two ornate, black arches dominate the scorched landscape for miles, each one rising two hundred feet into the stiflingly hot air. Every inch of stonework is engraved with images of devils waging war against demons."
							]
						},
						"In forgotten times, archdevils used these twin arches to transport entire regiments to other planes of existence. The arches' magic has waned significantly, but there's still enough magic left in each one to transport creatures to another location in the Nine Hells. Characters who use a {@spell detect magic} spell or similar magic to examine the arches discern a powerful aura of conjuration magic around each one.",
						"When a creature approaches within 100 feet of either arch, the stonework emits a loud, resonant hum that grows louder and higher in pitch as the creature draws closer. As a creature passes through an arch, a roaring sheet of flame fills the archway, teleporting the creature to another location in the Nine Hells. Any creature or object that passes through the arch while the portal is open is transported to the same destination. Each arch is wide enough to accommodate infernal war machines.",
						"To travel to a specific destination, a creature must have visited it before or be able to point to its location on a map. Characters who point to {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}'s Maw on their map as they pass through an arch are teleported to the top of the demon lord's prison-chasm.",
						"If the characters fail to pick a destination, determine it randomly. Ask a player to roll a {@dice d20} on the poster map of Avernus. The location closest to where the die rests becomes the destination. If the die rolls off the map, the DM chooses a destination.",
						"The portal remains open and fixed to the same destination for 10 minutes, after which it deactivates as the arch that created it crumbles and falls to the ground."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Kostchtchie's Maw",
					"page": 104,
					"id": "22a",
					"entries": [
						"{@i The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but does the same hold true for fiends}?",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "22b",
							"entries": [
								"A dark chasm gapes between grumbling volcanoes that spew lava and smoke into the hateful sky. The air trembles with the bellowing of some monstrous creature in the dark depths of the chasm."
							]
						},
						"The demon lord {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} resembles a squat hill giant with short, bandy legs and a grossly shaped head.",
						"Frost giants who forsake their gods and turn to demon worship can summon {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} with bloody offerings left on altars of hewn ice. If the demon lord chooses to answer the giants' call, he hunts and fights alongside them for a time, infecting the frost giants with savage madness and bloodlust before disappearing back to the Abyss. {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA|Kostchtchie's} favored weapon is {@item Matalotok|BGDIA}, a warhammer forged by the frost giant god Thrym (see {@adventure appendix C|BGDIA|12} for more information about this legendary magic item).",
						"On his most recent visit to the Nine Hells, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} was defeated by the archdevil Zariel, who took his hammer and chained him at the bottom of this chasm, knowing that killing him would simply cause him to re-form on his icy layer of the Abyss. Without {@item Matalotok|BGDIA}, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}'s immunity to cold damage becomes resistance to cold damage.",
						"Shackled by ever-tightening magical chains that prevent him from casting spells, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} squats in a 10-foot-deep, 80-foot-diameter pool of black tar in a cavern at the bottom of a chasm, his hands chained behind him. His unholy screams and vile epithets can be heard for miles. Characters who attempt to communicate with the demon lord are met with guttural cries of anguish and frustration. In sporadic moments of lucidity, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} glares at a character and bellows, \"FREE ME!\" or \"BRING ME MY HAMMER!\" in Giant first and Abyssal second. If that fails to garner the desired reaction, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} resorts to using telepathy to contact the nearest character, demanding its immediate release while offering nothing in return.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Chasm",
							"page": 104,
							"id": "22c",
							"entries": [
								"The chasm descends to a depth of 500 feet. Although there are abundant handholds and footholds, the route to the bottom is steep and treacherous. Characters who can't fly must make DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) checks to ascend or descend the chasm without climbing gear. If a check fails by 5 or less, the character makes no progress on their turn. If the check fails by more than 5, the character falls to the bottom of the chasm.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Prison Guards",
									"page": 104,
									"id": "22d",
									"entries": [
										"A {@creature chain devil} named Mazer and four {@creature Hell Hound||hell hounds} guard the demon lord. If they detect intruders, the hounds pounce down from high caves as the devil emerges from the tar pit.",
										"Mazer keeps {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}'s chains tight at all times. Hidden in the tar pit are dozens more chains (each 100 feet long) that Mazer can use its Animate Chains action to animate. Mazer uses these loose chains to bind enemies or drag them into the tar pit, which is {@quickref difficult terrain||3}.",
										"If the chain devil dies, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}'s chains loosen enough for the demon lord to break free of them. Once free of its chains, the demon lord regains his spellcasting abilities."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 104,
									"id": "22e",
									"entries": [
										"If {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} is freed, the he cries out to Zariel (in Giant) that he's coming for his hammer and swears to crush her with it. He then casts {@spell wind walk}, which turns him into a cloudy form with an astonishingly fast flying speed of 300 feet. In this form, he travels with great haste across Avernus, determined to get his hammer back. Characters swift enough to follow in his wake are led to Zariel (see {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|8}).",
										"With {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} freed, the characters can return to the Crypt of the Hellriders, where Olanthius dutifully reveals the location of the Bleeding Citadel (see {@adventure chapter 4|BGDIA|7}). As the characters leave the catacombs, he asks them to give his love to Yael when they see her.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/069-xef0g-03-15.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 698
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 3: Avernus - Path of Devils",
			"page": 106,
			"id": "22f",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Demon Zapper",
					"page": 106,
					"id": "230",
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/070-2mb1u-flowchart-3-3.webp"
							},
							"title": "Diagram 3.3: Path of Devils",
							"width": 552,
							"height": 1500
						},
						"{@i The purest of souls lures fiends into a hellish trap. Zap! Zap}!",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters approach this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "231",
							"entries": [
								"Radiant light cascades from a rusted metal monument shaped like the upraised mandibles of a giant beetle."
							]
						},
						"The light cascades from a {@creature unicorn} named Mooncolor, who is trapped inside a 10-foot-diameter sphere of magical force that prevents any matter from passing into it and blocks any spells cast into or out of it. The sphere is suspended between the zapper's spines, 50 feet above the ground. This light lures demons like moths to a flame, annihilating them when they get close. While trapped in the sphere, the unicorn can't use any of its magical abilities.",
						"The sphere targets the nearest fiend that moves within 100 feet of it, discharging a beam of radiance that forms a line 5 feet wide and up to 100 feet long, extending to the target. Any creature in the line that has 100 hit points or fewer disintegrates into a pile of ash. Creatures with more than 100 hit points in the line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 260 ({@dice 40d12}) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Once the demon zapper has fired, it must recharge for 1 minute before it can fire again.",
						"To free the unicorn, the characters must destroy the rusted metal structure around it, which has AC 14, 250 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The structure crumbles when it drops to 0 hit points, causing the sphere of force to slowly sink to the ground and fade away. If the characters free the unicorn, it accompanies them if they are of mostly good alignment.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ralzala the Dao",
							"page": 106,
							"id": "232",
							"entries": [
								"A {@creature dao} named Ralzala defends the demon zapper. Ralzala swore loyalty to Zariel to gain revenge against a rival dao who tried to ruin her. The dao regrets the arrangement and wants to break her pact with the archdevil.",
								"Ralzala hides under the ground at the base of the zapper. If the characters damage the zapper, Ralzala emerges from the ground, casts {@spell tongues}, and offers them a deal. She reveals that the deposed archdevil {@creature Bel|BGDIA} would gladly aid the characters in overthrowing {@creature Archduke Zariel of Avernus|BGDIA|Zariel}. If the characters help Ralzala break her pact with Zariel, the dao promises to direct them to {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s Forge and write them a letter of introduction.",
								"Ralzala knows an oracle named Red Ruth, who could surely divine a solution to her problem. Being bound to the demon zapper, Ralzala is unable to seek out this oracle herself, but the characters could do so in her stead. She tells them to speak with Red Ruth in the corrupted forest nearby and follow her instructions to break the pact. This leads the players to the {@area Bone Brambles|233|x}.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/071-84p9h-03-16.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 651
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Bone Brambles",
					"page": 107,
					"id": "233",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Your future is written in your blood. She'll open your veins to paint the story hidden in your heart}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "234",
							"entries": [
								"A maze of warped trees and bonelike vines stretches before you. Calcified corpses merge with the trees, covered in fungal pods that feed on the blood oozing through the undergrowth. Here and there, narrow paths wend deeper into the wood."
							]
						},
						"In a bygone age, the night hag Red Ruth corrupted a community of dryads by fouling the roots of their trees with mind-bending poison. As the dryads fell to evil, their forest was wrenched from the Feywild into Avernus. Those dryads who resisted the poison died trying to merge back into their trees. The rest crumbled to ash and became restless, tortured spirits akin to banshees. Contented, Red Ruth made her home at the heart of the twisted wood.",
						"The characters can venture into the wood out of curiosity or to find the oracle that Ralzala hopes can break her pact with Zariel.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Encounters in the Brambles",
							"page": 107,
							"id": "235",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/072-jzcpq-map-3-4.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 3.4: Bone Brambles",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 140,
												"offsetX": 6
											},
											"id": "3d0",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "237",
													"points": [
														[
															3230,
															1370
														],
														[
															3235,
															1102
														],
														[
															3382,
															1015
														],
														[
															3490,
															1092
														],
														[
															3492,
															1322
														],
														[
															3357,
															1250
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "237",
													"points": [
														[
															2385,
															1402
														],
														[
															2402,
															1285
														],
														[
															2497,
															1287
														],
														[
															2537,
															1412
														],
														[
															2652,
															1537
														],
														[
															2647,
															1700
														],
														[
															2510,
															1787
														],
														[
															2392,
															1667
														],
														[
															2395,
															1520
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "237",
													"points": [
														[
															3820,
															2065
														],
														[
															3927,
															1947
														],
														[
															3810,
															1805
														],
														[
															3952,
															1812
														],
														[
															4070,
															1695
														],
														[
															4080,
															1832
														],
														[
															4192,
															1965
														],
														[
															4055,
															2095
														],
														[
															3842,
															2087
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "23c",
													"points": [
														[
															2937,
															1815
														],
														[
															2937,
															2092
														],
														[
															3222,
															2092
														],
														[
															3222,
															1815
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "237",
													"points": [
														[
															2385,
															2652
														],
														[
															2557,
															2657
														],
														[
															2665,
															2552
														],
														[
															2812,
															2672
														],
														[
															2920,
															2552
														],
														[
															2932,
															2795
														],
														[
															2792,
															2902
														],
														[
															2662,
															2807
														],
														[
															2547,
															2932
														],
														[
															2372,
															2925
														],
														[
															2377,
															2757
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "237",
													"points": [
														[
															3492,
															2675
														],
														[
															3530,
															2515
														],
														[
															3782,
															2267
														],
														[
															3922,
															2357
														],
														[
															4052,
															2487
														],
														[
															4037,
															2665
														],
														[
															3820,
															2667
														],
														[
															3780,
															2962
														],
														[
															3635,
															2952
														],
														[
															3647,
															2815
														],
														[
															3510,
															2772
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "236",
													"points": [
														[
															2097,
															3607
														],
														[
															2097,
															3930
														],
														[
															2292,
															3930
														],
														[
															2292,
															3607
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "236",
													"points": [
														[
															17,
															2617
														],
														[
															17,
															2820
														],
														[
															272,
															2820
														],
														[
															272,
															2617
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "236",
													"points": [
														[
															232,
															197
														],
														[
															232,
															582
														],
														[
															542,
															582
														],
														[
															542,
															197
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "236",
													"points": [
														[
															3352,
															100
														],
														[
															3352,
															460
														],
														[
															3832,
															460
														],
														[
															3832,
															100
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "236",
													"points": [
														[
															5530,
															2305
														],
														[
															5530,
															2595
														],
														[
															5922,
															2595
														],
														[
															5922,
															2305
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/072-jzcpq-map-3-4.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/073-ugdpq-map-3-4-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 140,
												"offsetX": 6
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3d0"
											}
										}
									]
								},
								"The following descriptions correspond to areas marked on map 3.4.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "B1. Entrances",
									"page": 107,
									"id": "236",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who circle the tangled stretch of woodland uncover five separate paths leading into its interior. Impassable brambles choke the woodland outside these trails and even grow overhead to blot out the sky.",
										"To avoid getting lost in the wood, the characters must succeed on a DC 15 group Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) check. On a success, the characters locate Red Ruth's lair at the heart of the woodland ({@area area B3|23c|x}). If they fail, they blunder into one of the dead ends listed below (area B2) and must make the check again when they move on. Once all four dead ends have been explored, the group automatically locates Red Ruth's lair."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "B2. Dead Ends",
									"page": 107,
									"id": "237",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters get lost in the brambles, roll on the Dead Ends table to determine where they end up, or choose a result that they haven't encountered yet.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Dead Ends",
											"colLabels": [
												"d4",
												"Dead End"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-6 text-center",
												"col-6 text-center"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Dead traveler"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Dryad spirits"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Shambling mounds"
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Thorn trap"
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Dead Traveler",
											"page": 108,
											"id": "238",
											"entries": [
												"The corpse of a drow rests at the end of the path, her flesh impaled by hungry vines and her face twisted in an expression of horror. The traveler wears a {@item bag of devouring} on a strap."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Dryad Spirits",
											"page": 108,
											"id": "239",
											"entries": [
												"Three cursed dryad spirits (use the {@creature banshee} stat block to represent them) approach the characters and demand to be reminded of the \"wonders of life.\" At your discretion, a character can mollify the spirits with a sweet story, a kiss, a song, or anything else that reminds the dryads of home. If the characters fail to satisfy them, the three spirits attack."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Shambling Mounds",
											"page": 108,
											"id": "23a",
											"entries": [
												"Three {@creature Shambling Mound||shambling mounds} arise from the brambles and attack the characters."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Thorn Trap",
											"page": 108,
											"id": "23b",
											"entries": [
												"The characters spot a hawthorn staff entangled at the end of the path, buried behind a 15-foot-deep thicket of thorns. Each 5-foot-square section of thorns counts as {@quickref difficult terrain||3} and has AC 11, 15 hit points, immunity to psychic damage, and vulnerability to fire damage. If damaged but not destroyed, the thorns magically regrow to full health after 24 hours. The thorns restrain any creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of them. Any creature that starts its turn {@condition restrained} by the thorns takes 22 ({@dice 4d10}) slashing damage from the writhing barbs. Once a creature is entangled, it can break free only if all the thorn bushes within 5 feet of it are destroyed.",
												"The staff at the center of the maze is a decoy and crumbles to ashes in the hands of whoever claims it."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "B3. Red Ruth's Lair",
									"page": 108,
									"id": "23c",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "23d",
											"entries": [
												"A cave-like hovel lies at the center of the maze. Hundreds of bones and body parts hang by twine from the entrance, and the ceiling is strung with garland made of bloody entrails. The air buzzes with flies."
											]
										},
										"Red Ruth, a {@creature night hag}, makes her lair inside this gory den. She wears a dress made from stitched-together bones. Strings of infants' skulls hang around her neck and chatter nursery rhymes incessantly (and in different languages) as she talks.",
										"Evil visitors from all over the multiverse travel to Avernus to hear Red Ruth's divinations and sample her mystical brews. If the characters talk to Red Ruth about the dao's curse, she offers them a deal for her assistance (see \"{@area Hold the Fort|23e|x}\" below).",
										"Red Ruth sells potions brewed from blood, which she gladly trades for {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} as listed on the Red Ruth's Bargains table. Each potion imparts an unpleasant but harmless side effect when imbibed: flatulence, boils, hair loss, or any other ghastliness you can conceive. Her divinations replicate the effects of a {@spell commune} spell, although Red Ruth provides the answers to the questions without needing to appeal to a divine being.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Red Ruth's Bargains",
											"colLabels": [
												"Goods",
												"Price"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-5",
												"col-7"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"Potion, common or uncommon",
													"1 {@item soul coin|BGDIA}"
												],
												[
													"Potion, rare",
													"2 {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}"
												],
												[
													"{@spell Commune} spell",
													"3 {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}"
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Hold the Fort",
							"page": 109,
							"id": "23e",
							"entries": [
								"Red Ruth says she knows how to free Ralzala the dao from her pact, but she won't tell the characters until they've performed a favor for her first. The hag explains that she's long overdue for her bath\u2014it's been a couple of centuries at the very least since she last washed. She asks the characters to arrange and pay for a pampering session at Infernal Rapture in the {@area Wandering Emporium|297|x}. She warns the characters of one other condition before they decide: they must watch over her grove while she's gone. If the characters attack or threaten Red Ruth during this negotiation, she simply slips away into the Ethereal Plane and doesn't return until they leave.",
								"The night hag can divine the location of the Wandering Emporium by spilling some of her own blood on the ground and studying the pattern that the blood makes. Red Ruth can then point to a location on the character's map of Avernus. (The location can be anywhere you choose.) When the characters arrive at that location, they encounter the Wandering Emporium just as the night hag predicted. Although Red Ruth knows that the owner of Infernal Rapture is a rakshasa, she doesn't share this information with the characters, expecting them to figure it out on their own.",
								"Characters who return from the Wandering Emporium with confirmation of Red Ruth's appointment must watch over the grove for a few hours while the hag leaves to take her bath. During this time, the cursed spirits of the dryads arise to destroy Red Ruth's lair as punishment for her crimes. This force consists of two dryad spirits (use the {@creature banshee} stat block) and a walking, {@creature undead tree|bgdia} (use the {@creature treant} stat block, except the tree is undead and has resistance to necrotic damage).",
								"If the characters defeat the undead, Red Ruth fulfills her end of the bargain when she returns. Otherwise, the {@creature undead tree|BGDIA} collapses the entrance to Red Ruth's hovel. The night hag is not pleased and uses her Etherealness trait to walk through the collapsed entrance of her cave, disappearing into her lair without so much as a goodbye.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 109,
									"id": "23f",
									"entries": [
										"The dryad spirits have no treasure, but the {@creature undead tree|BGDIA} has a dead gnome skeleton lodged in a hollow cavity in its trunk. The skeleton wears a witch's hat (actually a {@item hat of disguise}) and clutches a {@item +1 wand of the war mage}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 109,
									"id": "240",
									"entries": [
										"To honor her end of the deal, Red Ruth reveals that Ralzala must drink the blood of a titan to free herself from Zariel's pact. The night hag says that Uldrak might be able to help but warns \"he's not what he used to be.\" If the characters show her their map, she identifies Uldrak's location. This sends the group to Uldrak's Grave."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Uldrak's Grave",
					"page": 109,
					"id": "241",
					"entries": [
						"{@i A fallen titan or a wimp with delusions of grandeur? I'll leave that for you to decide}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "242",
							"entries": [
								"The cracked helm and sword of a titan lies half buried in the ash of Avernus. A spherical stone set into the sword's pommel still gleams with scarlet radiance."
							]
						},
						"The {@creature empyrean} Uldrak quested into the Nine Hells to slay {@creature Tiamat|RoT} and win glory for his deity, Surtur, but he was beaten handily by the dragon queen. The empyrean wasn't slain; instead, Tiamat cursed him for his impudence by transforming him into a {@creature spined devil}. This wretched creature now hides inside the helmet that he once wore. For millennia, Uldrak has dwelled in this spot, forlornly plotting to restore his true form.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dealing with Uldrak",
							"page": 109,
							"id": "243",
							"entries": [
								"Uldrak is a bitter creature who barely remembers his past. Long ago, he learned how to remove his curse, but the solution was so beyond him that he consigned himself to failure. Now, he's more interested in scrabbling to survive than trying to escape the Nine Hells.",
								"Uldrak's empyrean heritage still lingers in his voice. He understands all languages, and when he speaks, he randomly switches language to Giant. Millennia of isolation have unhinged his mind, so he argues with himself often, even in front of strangers.",
								"Uldrak reveals his sorry tale to any who ask him about the empyrean's whereabouts. Characters who came here to extract Uldrak's blood (see \"{@area Bone Brambles|233|x},\" above) can make a DC 12 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check when they learn that Uldrak is now a fiend. On a success, they hypothesize that the blood must be drawn from his titan form to break the dao's curse. Thankfully, Uldrak has a plan (see \"Development\" below).",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"id": "244",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 109,
											"id": "245",
											"entries": [
												"The sphere set into the pommel of Uldrak's sword is an {@item orb of dragonkind}. This item is vital to Uldrak's plan to free himself from his curse."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 109,
									"id": "246",
									"entries": [
										"To regain his true form, Uldrak must spill some of Tiamat's blood on the ground of Avernus. Fighting Tiamat in his present form would be madness, but Uldrak has learned that a dragonborn named {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA} carries some of Tiamat's blood in a reliquary around his neck. Uldrak reveals that the \"gem\" glowing on the pommel of his old sword is in fact an {@item orb of dragonkind}\u2014an item sure to be of interest to Arkhan. He urges the characters to trade the orb to Arkhan for the reliquary and then return here. If the characters agree, Uldrak gives them directions to Arkhan's Tower."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Arkhan's Tower",
					"page": 110,
					"id": "247",
					"entries": [
						"{@i He wears the hand of evil, yet his goal remains just beyond his fingertips}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "248",
							"entries": [
								"A dark tower looms on the horizon, its black spire rising hundreds of feet, its ramparts bristling with charred skulls mounted on iron spikes. The tower's apex splits into five narrower spires that jab at the sky like clawed fingers. Circling above the tower's peak is a great white dragon stained with ash and soot.",
								"As you get closer to the tower, you notice figures shuffling atop its ramparts\u2014undead guards in various states of decay."
							]
						},
						"{@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA} has claimed this tower as his base. Here, with the help of a tortle death-priest of Tiamat named {@creature Krull|BGDIA}, the dragonborn warrior researches ways to assert his will over the artifact known as the {@item Hand of Vecna}, so he can use its secrets to free the evil dragon queen Tiamat from the Nine Hells. Arkhan has traveled to a nearby monument to commune with his goddess, leaving {@creature Krull|BGDIA} behind.",
						"Dragons tore the obsidian rocks of Arkhan's tower from the fiery volcanoes of Avernus. Fifty {@creature Skeleton||skeletons} and thirty {@creature Zombie||zombies} stand ready to defend the tower, which is also guarded by the {@creature adult white dragon} Obatala. When it detects intruders, the dragon roars to alert {@creature Krull|BGDIA}, who emerges from the tower to greet new arrivals. {@creature Krull|BGDIA}, whose shell is carved with Draconic runes that spell out prayers to Tiamat, is joined by four {@creature Ghoul||ghouls} that serve as his assistants. The ghouls gnaw on bones and eye the characters hungrily as {@creature Krull|BGDIA} negotiates with them. Under no circumstances does {@creature Krull|BGDIA} allow intruders to enter the nine-story tower and disturb his experiments or Arkhan's chambers.",
						"{@creature Krull|BGDIA} is willing to lead the characters to Arkhan if they have something valuable in their possession, such as the {@item orb of dragonkind} recovered from Uldrak's Grave or the unicorn rescued from the {@area demon zapper|230|x}. Otherwise, the tortle instructs the characters to leave at once or die.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/074-637000129226875587.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Krull|BGDIA}",
							"width": 399,
							"height": 496
						},
						"In addition to its undead defenses, the tower has four smaller dragons living inside it: a {@creature young black dragon} named Slarkas, a {@creature young blue dragon} named Vistalancer, a {@creature young green dragon} named Vermilius, and a {@creature red dragon wyrmling} nicknamed Flash. These dragons attack characters who invade the tower and fight to the death to defend it.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"id": "249",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"id": "24a",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 111,
											"id": "24b",
											"entries": [
												"{@creature Krull|BGDIA} wields a {@item +1 maul} and carries five {@item Potion of Healing||potions of healing} and two {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} in a sling bag. The tower is filled with laboratories, morgues, and dragon hatcheries that might contain other treasures protected by magical wards, at your discretion."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 111,
									"id": "24c",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters convince {@creature Krull|BGDIA} to lead them to Arkhan, the tortle guides them safely to the Monument to Tiamat (see \"{@area Monument to Tiamat|24d|x}\"). The characters could also stake out Arkhan's tower and await the dragonborn's return. Arkhan reacts here as he does at the Monument to Tiamat, except that he can't summon Asojano the chimera.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/075-637000099535198696.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA}",
											"width": 399,
											"height": 385
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Monument to Tiamat",
					"page": 112,
					"id": "24d",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Draconic devils roost in a giant skull, through which the dragon queen speaks with five tongues}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "24e",
							"entries": [
								"A colossal dragon's skull leans against a mountainside, surrounded by bones the size of houses. Acrid smoke rises from the skull's maw. A military tent has been pitched among the bones, and parked next to it is a two-wheeled infernal war machine.",
								"Gathered around this tent are a dozen chattering, reptilian humanoids with gleaming swords, white scales, and white, leathery wings."
							]
						},
						"A tunnel at the back of the skull leads to Tiamat's lair. The devils nesting within the skull, the abishai, are believed to carry out her bidding\u2014or perhaps guard over her prison on orders of Asmodeus.",
						"From the depths of her lair, Tiamat can hear the prayers and pronouncements of faithful servants who call out to her from the maw of the colossal dragon skull. If the dragon queen chooses to reply, her five hissing voices issue from the darkness, amplified by the skull as they give commands and finish each other's sentences.",
						"It would be madness to assault this location without an army. Abishai of all colors nest in the sulfurous caves behind the skull, and scores of {@creature white abishai|MTF} pour forth to counter any assault or invasion.",
						"The infernal war machine parked next to the tent is a {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA} belonging to {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA}'s minotaur bodyguard, {@creature Torogar Steelfist|BGDIA}.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/076-637000772337192497.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Torogar Steelfist|BGDIA}",
							"width": 399,
							"height": 378
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Arkhan the Cruel",
							"page": 113,
							"id": "24f",
							"entries": [
								"The dragonborn {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA} is in the tent along with his {@creature manticore} companion, Chango, and {@creature Torogar Steelfist|BGDIA}, his savage minotaur bodyguard. Arkhan visits the monument to commune with his queen and report on his ongoing battle of wills to master the {@item Hand of Vecna}, which came into his possession during a brief excursion to the world of Exandria.",
								"If the characters approach Arkhan's encampment, the twelve {@creature white abishai|MTF} at the camp rush forward to intercept them. Characters accompanied by {@creature Krull|BGDIA} the tortle (see \"{@area Arkhan's Tower|247|x}\") or who have something Arkhan might consider valuable are permitted to approach his camp.",
								"Arkhan believes he can use the {@item Hand of Vecna} to unlock the means of freeing Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells, but only if the hand doesn't kill him first. The hand is slowly corrupting Arkhan's flesh and decomposing his body on one side. To stave off this decline, Arkhan needs to use the {@item Hand of Vecna} to snuff the life out of good-aligned creatures. If the characters try to cut a deal with Arkhan\u2014for a vial of Tiamat's blood or help contacting the dragon queen herself\u2014Arkhan demands the sacrifice of a good-aligned creature in exchange. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is an ideal candidate, as is the unicorn Mooncolor (see \"{@area Demon Zapper|230|x}\"). Sacrificing such a creature to Arkhan is an evil act.",
								"In battle, Arkhan uses {@spell branding smite} to channel the radiant power of Tiamat into his weapon attacks. If a fight turns against him, he uses the {@spell teleport} power of the {@item Hand of Vecna} to return to his tower with as many allies as possible. Should one or more of his comrades fall in battle, Arkhan uses {@spell revivify} and {@spell raise dead} spells to bring them back to life as soon as possible.",
								"If Arkhan finds himself overwhelmed with opposition, he orders the abishai to attack. Arkhan can also use a bonus action to call forth Asojano, a {@creature chimera} lairing in the depths of the colossal dragon skull. This evil monster in the service of Tiamat considers Arkhan a friend and ally.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 113,
									"id": "250",
									"entries": [
										"The characters most likely come here to bargain with Arkhan for a vial of Tiamat's blood in his possession. If they acquire this reliquary, they can return Tiamat's blood to Uldrak and use it to break his curse. Uldrak excitedly splashes the vial's hissing contents onto the ground at his feet. Moments later, he sheds his fiendish skin and grows back into his true form, that of a lawful evil {@creature empyrean}. Laughing gleefully, Uldrak yanks his sword from the ground and gladly provides the characters with a gallon of his blood so they can break the curse on Ralzala. When this is done, he casts {@spell plane shift} to return to the realm of his deity, Surtur.",
										"Returning to the demon zapper, the characters find that Ralzala also honors her word. After gulping down the empyrean's blood to free herself from her pact, she etches her letter of introduction to {@creature Bel|BGDIA} onto a basalt tablet and directs the characters to his volcanic lair. The adventure continues in {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s Forge."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Bel's Forge",
					"page": 113,
					"id": "251",
					"entries": [
						"{@i An ousted archduke sulking in a volcano, eager to reclaim his stolen throne}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "252",
							"entries": [
								"A gargantuan volcano dominates the horizon. Clouds of fire and ash spew from its caldera, and the air trembles with its angry grumblings. A vast, multilayered fortress has been hewn into the volcano's rocky slopes."
							]
						},
						"{@creature Bel|BGDIA}, one of the Nine Hells' greatest military minds, dwells in this iron keep. From this bastion, Zariel's second-in-command and the former lord of Avernus oversees the forges that furnish weapons and armor for the Blood War.",
						"An army of devils guards {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fortress, and his dark magic alerts him to intruders within its walls. Strangers who venture too close are assaulted by a strike team of two {@creature Horned Devil||horned devils} leading ten {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils}. If the intruders survive and linger in the area, a whole army of devils descends upon them.",
						"Characters can gain an audience with {@creature Bel|BGDIA} if they have a letter of introduction (available from the dao Ralzala), or if they're captured or killed by {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s forces. {@creature Bel|BGDIA} delights in raising his enemies from the dead to interrogate them, especially if they appear to be outlanders. Infiltrating {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fortress is possible, but only if the characters have magical means of shielding themselves from his divinations. If they befriend Olanthius (see \"{@area Crypt of the Hellriders|214|x}\"), cut a new deal with Red Ruth (see \"{@area Bone Brambles|233|x}\"), or perform a quest for Mephistopheles (see \"{@area Mirror of Mephistar|208|x}\"), they could feasibly infiltrate {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fortress by smuggling themselves in with any tribute their ally brings before {@creature Bel|BGDIA}. Whether the characters smuggle themselves inside, arrive with a letter of introduction, or get taken into custody, they eventually arrive at the lowest level of {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fortress, where {@creature Bel|BGDIA} lairs.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Forge Features",
							"page": 113,
							"id": "253",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s forge is carved out of volcanic rock and has soaring, 50-foot-high ceilings throughout. Other features of the forge are summarized below.",
								"{@b Heat}. {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s forge is unbearably hot, with an ambient temperature of 130 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The extreme heat has detrimental effects on creatures not acclimated to such environments (see \"{@book Extreme Heat|DMG|5|Extreme Heat}\" in {@book chapter 5|DMG|5} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}).",
								"{@b Lava}. Open rivers of lava are channeled through the forge to smelt ore and soften metal. Any creature that enters the lava for the first time on its turn or starts its turn in it takes 33 ({@dice 6d10}) fire damage. Increase the damage to 99 ({@dice 18d10}) fire damage if the creature is fully immersed in the lava."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Encounters in the Forge",
							"page": 114,
							"id": "254",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/077-6wvu7-map-3-5.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 3.5: {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s Forge",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 128,
												"offsetX": -8,
												"offsetY": -9
											},
											"id": "3d1",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "25a",
													"points": [
														[
															4082,
															642
														],
														[
															4082,
															1025
														],
														[
															4490,
															1025
														],
														[
															4490,
															642
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "258",
													"points": [
														[
															3135,
															750
														],
														[
															3135,
															1045
														],
														[
															3580,
															1045
														],
														[
															3580,
															750
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "258",
													"points": [
														[
															3742,
															1075
														],
														[
															3742,
															1792
														],
														[
															3970,
															1792
														],
														[
															3970,
															1075
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "257",
													"points": [
														[
															2052,
															1497
														],
														[
															2887,
															832
														],
														[
															3110,
															910
														],
														[
															3005,
															1337
														],
														[
															2520,
															1842
														],
														[
															2100,
															1787
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "255",
													"points": [
														[
															2622,
															1740
														],
														[
															2622,
															2350
														],
														[
															3330,
															2350
														],
														[
															3330,
															1740
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "257",
													"points": [
														[
															2305,
															2575
														],
														[
															3272,
															2510
														],
														[
															3600,
															2380
														],
														[
															3810,
															2562
														],
														[
															3747,
															2997
														],
														[
															3430,
															3140
														],
														[
															2745,
															3097
														],
														[
															2337,
															2872
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/077-6wvu7-map-3-5.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/078-m5uin-map-3-5-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 5821,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 130,
												"offsetX": 27,
												"offsetY": -51
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3d1",
												"autoScale": true
											}
										}
									]
								},
								"The following descriptions correspond to areas marked on map 3.5.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "F1. Descent to the Forge",
									"page": 114,
									"id": "255",
									"entries": [
										"Read the following boxed text to the players when their characters reach the lowest level of {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fortress:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "256",
											"entries": [
												"A wrought iron spiral staircase descends into a cavernous forge. Channels of bubbling lava wind through the complex, casting fiery light over huge anvils. Chained giants with coal-black skin and fiery orange hair hammer out weapons under the malignant gaze of a pit fiend seated in a flying throne. Throughout the forge, sparks fall like rain."
											]
										},
										"The pit fiend is {@creature Bel|BGDIA} (see \"{@area Roleplaying Bel|25b|x}\" below). Only he can control his Large flying throne, which has a flying speed of 15 feet and can hover."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "F2. Fire Giant Blacksmiths",
									"page": 114,
									"id": "257",
									"entries": [
										"Four {@creature Fire Giant||fire giants} in chains are using enormous hammers and anvils to craft infernal weapons and armor under {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s watchful eye. A clutter of giant-sized objects surround each giant's anvil: iron buckets containing oily water, coils of greasy chain, mounds of iron filings, and more.",
										"The fire giants' names are Drumra, Jalt, Rosska, and Zrakorn. While chained, the giants have a walking speed of 10 feet. The giants despise {@creature Bel|BGDIA} but are bound by magic to do as he demands. The chains that bind them can't be broken or unlocked except by {@creature Bel|BGDIA}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "F3. Weapons Rack",
									"page": 114,
									"id": "258",
									"entries": [
										"These racks contain weapons awaiting delivery to the front lines of the Blood War. Most of them are too big for Small or Medium characters to wield effectively.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 114,
											"id": "259",
											"entries": [
												"Among the larger weapons are three magic weapons sized for Small and Medium characters: a pair of {@item Hellfire Javelin|BGDIA|hellfire javelins} and a {@item hellfire greatsword|BGDIA}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "F4. Pool of Magma",
									"page": 114,
									"id": "25a",
									"entries": [
										"Inside this cavern, steel pylons and gantries keep a huge and terrible new machine suspended above a pool of magma. The machine is {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s secret weapon in his cold war to overthrow Zariel. When the characters arrive here, the infernal machine is still under construction and far from complete."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Roleplaying Bel",
							"page": 114,
							"id": "25b",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} oversees the manufacture of weapons and armor for the Blood War. Though Asmodeus has instructed Zariel to accept {@creature Bel|BGDIA} as her advisor, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} and Zariel loathe each other and invent distractions to keep them apart. When {@creature Bel|BGDIA} learns of the characters' intentions, he decides to use them as pawns to tarnish and ultimately overthrow Zariel.",
								"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} outwardly plays the role of Zariel's loyal vassal. Secretly, he uses telepathy to hatch a treasonous plot with the characters. {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s plan is as follows:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} wants the characters to retrieve nine adamantine rods that were stolen from his forge by Zariel's spies. Once all nine rods are returned to him, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} is willing to divulge the location of the Bleeding Citadel.",
										"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} suggests that the characters speak to a sibriex that was recently captured by his spies. Sibriexes are hoarders of forbidden lore, and this particular one has been a good source of information for {@creature Bel|BGDIA}. It might know where Zariel's spies hid the adamantine rods.",
										"To help the characters reach the sibriex, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} offers to provide them with a barge they can use to ply the River Styx."
									]
								},
								"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} doesn't tell the characters that the Companion (what he calls the Solar Insidiator) was built in his forge, nor does he reveal that it has a planetar trapped inside it. {@creature Bel|BGDIA} also fails to mention that the nine adamantine rods are the keys to unlocking the device and freeing the planetar. If the characters ask what the rods are for, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} says, \"That's not really any of your business. This is the best deal you'll get in Avernus. I suggest you take it.\"",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/079-637000103086709349.webp"
									},
									"title": "{@creature Bel|BGDIA}",
									"width": 400,
									"height": 492
								},
								"If the characters become belligerent or demanding, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} sighs and snaps his fingers, causing the infernal chains to fall off the fire giants. He promises freedom to any fire giant that kills an intruder, prompting the giants to attack the characters without mercy. {@creature Bel|BGDIA} then steeples his fingers and watches the battle unfold. In battle, the fire giants hurl buckets, tools, and heavy chains instead of boulders. They also try to shove enemies into channels of molten lava.",
								"If the characters defeat the fire giants, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} commends their victory and offers them the same deal as before. If the characters refuse him a second time, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} smiles and says, \"A pity. All those poor people in Elturel were counting on you.\" He then offers to teleport them out of his fortress, so they can be on their way. Gracious host that {@creature Bel|BGDIA} is, he won't attack the characters directly unless they attack him first, in which case he casts {@spell imprisonment} on a party member ({@creature Lulu|BGDIA} being his first choice). If the spell works, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} vows to release his prisoner once the nine adamantine rods are found and returned to him, no questions asked.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 116,
									"id": "25c",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters are ready to leave his forge, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} teleports them back to the surface. If the characters agreed to {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s terms, an {@creature imp} named Balakros is waiting for them when they return to the surface. {@creature Bel|BGDIA} instructs the imp to help the characters reach the sibriex. The imp has performed this task before and knows, without having to be told, that its orders include reporting back to {@creature Bel|BGDIA} and whispering everything the sibriex said into its master's ear.",
										"If characters refuse to let Balakros accompany them, the imp bids them farewell, turns {@condition invisible}, and follows them at a respectful distance."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "River Travel",
									"page": 116,
									"id": "25d",
									"entries": [
										"Balakros offers to lead the characters to an iron barge moored on the shore of the River Styx. An iron road leads from {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s volcano to the barge, and it's patrolled by {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} that won't attack the characters as long as Balakros is leading them. Lashed to the sides of the barge are demon skulls and bones. Characters who travel by barge must pass underneath the {@area Stygian Dock|285|x} on their way to the sibriex.",
										"The barge is 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, and sturdy enough to transport up to two Huge infernal war machines. Twelve {@creature Merregon|MTF|merregons} under the command of a {@creature bone devil} named Krinjak operate the barge's oars. Krinjak's instructions are to take the characters where they need to go. Although it professes loyalty to {@creature Bel|BGDIA}, Krinjak is secretly a spy for Zariel. After taking the characters as close to the sibriex as the River Styx allows, it flies off to warn Zariel that the characters are working for {@creature Bel|BGDIA}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Overland Travel",
									"page": 116,
									"id": "25e",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters would rather travel to the sibriex in some other fashion, Balakros the imp offers to serve as their overland guide, since it knows where the sibriex is. It can also point to the sibriex's location on the characters' map of Avernus."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Sibriex",
					"page": 116,
					"id": "25f",
					"entries": [
						"{@i A breeder of horrors and a hoarder of secrets, a sibriex is said to be as old as the Abyss}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at this location, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "260",
							"entries": [
								"Spiky chains lash a fifteen-foot-diameter, floating blob of quivering flesh to a 20-foot-tall wrought-iron scaffold. Two fiends wrapped in chains stand atop the scaffold, torturing the bloated creature's flesh by tightening its chains. Demon ichor oozes from its wounds, forming a shallow pool around the scaffolding.",
								"A third, jackal-headed fiend uses a bronze horn to yell loudly at the bloated prisoner in multiple languages. It sits cross-legged about half-way up the scaffolding."
							]
						},
						"{@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fiends captured a {@creature sibriex|MTF} and have been torturing and interrogating it for quite a long time now. The sibriex is {@condition restrained} by infernal chains from {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s forge that also prevent it from using its spells or actions to escape.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/080-fm0m5-sibriex.webp"
							},
							"title": "Sibriex",
							"width": 851,
							"height": 1000
						},
						"The demon ichor that pools around the scaffolding smells terrible but can be easily avoided. For more information on demon ichor, see \"{@area Demon Ichor|1a7|x}\".",
						"Two {@creature Chain Devil||chain devils} named Shalok and Jank are torturing the sibriex under the guidance of Fetchtatter, a cruel {@creature arcanaloth} who signed an infernal contract with {@creature Bel|BGDIA}, guaranteeing the arcanaloth's loyalty to {@creature Bel|BGDIA} in exchange for magic items and spellbooks. All three fiends are immune to the sibriex's Warp Creature power.",
						"Fetchtatter uses its speaking horn to address the sibriex, treating it like an idiot child. The arcanaloth's declarations typically begin with, \"Tell me everything you know about...\" and end with a long pause as it waits for the sibriex to answer. The sibriex has grown increasingly obstinate, much to Fetchtatter's chagrin. The arcanaloth offers three {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} to the characters if they can make the sibriex talk, but it has no intention of honoring this agreement.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"id": "261",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 117,
									"id": "262",
									"entries": [
										"Fetchtatter wears a {@item ring of x-ray vision} on its right hand. In the pockets of its bile-stained robe are two {@item Potion of Greater Healing||potions of greater healing} and six {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}. The arcanaloth also carries a grimy spellbook bound in chasme flesh. Fetchtatter's spellbook contains all the spells the arcanaloth has prepared."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Interrogating the Sibriex",
							"page": 117,
							"id": "263",
							"entries": [
								"Before it was captured by {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s fiends, the sibriex wandered throughout Avernus, amassing information from every location it visited. At your discretion, the sibriex could have knowledge of other locations shown on the characters' map of Avernus. It gives up what it knows only if the characters use magical methods of interrogation. It doesn't know anything that can help the characters find the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, but it knows where {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s nine adamantine rods are located.",
								"The sibriex uses its telepathy to contact the first party member who comes within 120 feet of it, offering information in exchange for its freedom. The character with whom the sibriex is speaking telepathically can detect the insincerity of the sibriex's offer with a successful DC 17 Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check. Contrary to its claim, the sibriex doesn't plan to help the characters.",
								"A character can, with a successful DC 17 Charisma ({@skill Deception} or {@skill Persuasion}) check, convince the sibriex to share one bit of useful information as a show of good faith. If asked about the adamantine rods, the sibriex claims to have seen all nine rods in the wreck of a crashed flying fortress. The sibriex won't reveal the wreck's location, but Balakros the imp knows where the wreck is and can lead the characters there if told about it. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} might also suddenly remember the wreck's location, at your discretion."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Releasing the Sibriex",
							"page": 118,
							"id": "264",
							"entries": [
								"Fetchtatter and the chain devils attack characters who try to free the sibriex. Breaking three of the six chains that bind the sibriex allows it to slip free, whereupon it flies into the air and tries to get as far away from the iron scaffold as possible. Each chain has AC 19, 33 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, and immunity to fire, poison, and psychic damage."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Flesh Warping",
							"page": 118,
							"id": "265",
							"entries": [
								"When a creature fails a saving throw against the sibriex's Warp Creature effect, you can roll percentile dice and consult the {@adventure Flesh Warping table|BGDIA|3|Flesh Warping} to determine an additional effect, which vanishes when Warp Creature ends on the creature. If the creature transforms into an {@creature abyssal wretch|MTF}, the effect becomes a permanent feature of that body.",
								"A creature can willingly submit to flesh warping, an agonizing process that takes at least 1 hour while the creature stays within 30 feet of the sibriex. At the end of the process, roll once on the {@adventure Flesh Warping table|BGDIA|3|Flesh Warping} (or choose one effect) to determine how the creature is transformed permanently.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 118,
									"id": "266",
									"entries": [
										"After tricking or magically compelling the sibriex to divulge the location of {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s adamantine rods, the characters can set out to recover the rods from the wrecked flying fortress."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Wrecked Flying Fortress",
					"page": 118,
					"id": "267",
					"entries": [
						"{@i A weapon made for an archdevil, ravaged in battle and ripe for plunder}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"To reach the wrecked flying fortress, characters must cross a hot, windswept plain wracked by magical fire storms. Flying characters and fast-moving infernal war machines can easily avoid these fire storms.",
						"Characters traveling on foot must succeed on a DC 20 group Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) check as they cross the fireswept plain. On a failed check, a fire storm filling a 60-foot cube sweeps across the ground and engulfs as many party members as it can. The storm then attaches itself to one randomly determined party member, staying centered on that creature for 1 minute. At the end of the duration, the storm detaches from that creature and moves off in a random direction. The storm must remain in contact with the ground at all times. If it becomes separated from the creature to which it has attached itself, the storm moves off in a random direction and ceases to endanger the party.",
						"Any character that enters a fire storm for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 ({@dice 8d10}) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The fire storm ignites flammable objects that aren't being worn or held. A successful {@spell dispel magic} (DC 18) cast on the storm causes it to flame out and disappear.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Arrival at the Wreck",
							"page": 118,
							"id": "268",
							"entries": [
								"When the characters arrive at the wreck, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "269",
									"entries": [
										"A towering wreck rises from the scorched hellscape. It looks like a giant sword blade, tilted to a twenty-degree angle and partly buried underground. Much of its exposed hull is rusted and torn asunder. Hot wind screams as it tears through the hollow structure, and six giant vultures circle high above it."
									]
								},
								"After demons crippled this fortress in battle, Zariel abandoned it and left it to rust. The fortress is 150 feet tall, but the lower third of it is buried underground. All the lower decks have been picked clean, but the command deck at the top still holds promise. Characters can scale the wreck's torn outer hull to reach this deck, which is 80 feet off the ground at its lowest point. Climbing the outside of the wreck without proper gear requires a successful DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check. Characters who can fly have no trouble reaching the command deck.",
								"The \"giant vultures\" circling above the wreck are six {@creature Vrock||vrocks} that attack anyone who gets within 50 feet of the command deck. If three vrocks are killed, the remaining ones flee and don't return."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Lower Decks",
							"page": 119,
							"id": "26a",
							"entries": [
								"The lower decks are riddled with holes, allowing easy access to the fortress interior. Characters can ascend to the command deck without needing to make ability checks simply by moving up through the ruins of the lower decks, but the wreckage inside the fortress makes the ascent arduous.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bone Whelks",
									"page": 119,
									"id": "26b",
									"entries": [
										"Bone whelks are large mollusks that excrete an adhesive to attach skulls, bones, and other detritus to their bodies for protection. These slugs scour the wreck for organic matter to feed on, clinging to torn sections of wall, floor, and ceiling while taking shelter from the searing winds and hungry vrocks. Characters who try to make their way up through the interior of the wreck are attacked by five {@creature Bone Whelk|BGDIA|bone whelks}. Too slow to mount an effective escape, the bone whelks fight to the death.",
										"When a bone whelk dies, it emits a scream that has a {@chance 50|50 percent} chance of attracting the vrocks, which attack other creatures (including bone whelks) indiscriminately.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/081-637008601115675287.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Bone Whelk|BGDIA}",
											"width": 400,
											"height": 286
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Soul Intake",
									"page": 119,
									"id": "26c",
									"entries": [
										"Deep inside the wreck is a 5-foot-diameter, cylindrical pipe made of iron that runs almost the full height of the fortress. This pipe was designed to siphon tormented souls from the River Styx, feeding them into a 10-foot-diameter cistern below the command deck to power the fortress. The pipe can be accessed by a hatch on every deck except the command deck. Nesting inside the cistern at the top of the pipe is a monster resembling a 30-foot-long centipede that exudes necrotic sludge. If it hears one of the hatches open, it slinks down the pipe to devour any creatures it sees. This creature uses the {@creature remorhaz} stat block, with these changes:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Whenever the monster would deal fire damage, it deals necrotic damage instead.",
												"It has immunity to necrotic damage instead of cold damage."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Command Deck Features",
							"page": 119,
							"id": "26d",
							"entries": [
								"The command deck, shown on {@adventure map 3.6|BGDIA|5|Map 3.6: Wrecked Flying Fortress, Command Deck}, has the following features:",
								"{@b Iron Surfaces}. The floor, walls, ceilings, and doors are made of iron that has been twisted, bent, and ruptured in places. Ceilings throughout are 15 feet high.",
								"{@b Light Sources}. Areas that are exposed to the outdoors are dimly lit by the hellish red sky of Avernus. Beyond that, the only light sources are harmless showers of sparks that periodically rain down from gashes in the ceiling.",
								"{@b Slant}. Like the rest of the fortress, the command deck leans at a twenty-degree angle, with {@area area W5|27a|x} being the lowest part of the deck and {@area area W8|281|x} being the highest. The sloped metal floor is {@quickref difficult terrain||3}."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Command Deck Encounters",
							"page": 120,
							"id": "26e",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/082-4tpbi-map-3-6.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 3.6: Wrecked Flying Fortress, Command Deck",
											"width": 8700,
											"height": 4500,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 220,
												"offsetX": -6,
												"offsetY": 12
											},
											"id": "3d2",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "281",
													"points": [
														[
															640,
															455
														],
														[
															1320,
															452
														],
														[
															1522,
															667
														],
														[
															1537,
															917
														],
														[
															1760,
															1127
														],
														[
															1760,
															1337
														],
														[
															1975,
															1567
														],
														[
															1990,
															1712
														],
														[
															2032,
															1775
														],
														[
															2382,
															1772
														],
														[
															2642,
															1985
														],
														[
															2632,
															2222
														],
														[
															2402,
															2220
														],
														[
															2400,
															2357
														],
														[
															2320,
															2407
														],
														[
															2097,
															2240
														],
														[
															1957,
															2095
														],
														[
															1800,
															2025
														],
														[
															1332,
															1975
														],
														[
															1327,
															1787
														],
														[
															1735,
															1837
														],
														[
															1742,
															1770
														],
														[
															1507,
															1527
														],
														[
															1092,
															1537
														],
														[
															1100,
															1330
														],
														[
															1525,
															1362
														],
														[
															1507,
															1290
														],
														[
															1295,
															1092
														],
														[
															867,
															1110
														],
														[
															870,
															885
														],
														[
															1285,
															930
														],
														[
															1310,
															902
														],
														[
															1080,
															670
														],
														[
															1045,
															682
														],
														[
															640,
															655
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "27f",
													"points": [
														[
															2187,
															447
														],
														[
															2187,
															1560
														],
														[
															2860,
															1560
														],
														[
															2860,
															447
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "26f",
													"points": [
														[
															3465,
															1960
														],
														[
															3465,
															3710
														],
														[
															5175,
															3710
														],
														[
															5175,
															1960
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "274",
													"points": [
														[
															5922,
															1960
														],
														[
															5922,
															2645
														],
														[
															6600,
															2645
														],
														[
															6600,
															1960
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "272",
													"points": [
														[
															5945,
															3905
														],
														[
															5945,
															2865
														],
														[
															6155,
															2865
														],
														[
															6155,
															2680
														],
														[
															6375,
															2680
														],
														[
															6375,
															2873
														],
														[
															6580,
															2873
														],
														[
															6580,
															3313
														],
														[
															6492,
															3490
														],
														[
															6437,
															3567
														],
														[
															6317,
															3560
														],
														[
															6215,
															3620
														],
														[
															6147,
															3700
														],
														[
															6185,
															3780
														],
														[
															6172,
															3870
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "27d",
													"points": [
														[
															4851,
															440
														],
														[
															4851,
															1160
														],
														[
															5749,
															1160
														],
														[
															5749,
															440
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "276",
													"points": [
														[
															5943,
															457
														],
														[
															7234,
															457
														],
														[
															7234,
															1103
														],
														[
															6811,
															1103
														],
														[
															6811,
															1486
														],
														[
															5943,
															1486
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "27a",
													"points": [
														[
															7474,
															457
														],
														[
															8177,
															457
														],
														[
															7709,
															1320
														],
														[
															7503,
															1309
														],
														[
															7469,
															863
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/082-4tpbi-map-3-6.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/083-aw2bo-map-3-6-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 6614,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 174,
												"offsetX": 62,
												"offsetY": 18
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3d2",
												"autoScale": true
											}
										}
									]
								},
								"The following descriptions correspond to areas marked on map 3.6.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W1. Bridge",
									"page": 120,
									"id": "26f",
									"entries": [
										"Unless they've been defeated elsewhere, the six {@creature Vrock||vrocks} flying above the wreck swoop down to attack characters as they explore this area.",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "270",
											"entries": [
												"Sparks rain down from gashes in the ceiling of what used to be the bridge, much of which is open to the sky. The room has been picked clean, though rows of stripped-down consoles and a few dangling chains remain."
											]
										},
										"None of the consoles are operational, though characters can salvage them for wires and other metal components.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Development",
											"page": 120,
											"id": "271",
											"entries": [
												"As the characters explore this location, they hear several loud infernal war machines approaching. Through holes in the wall, they can see three vehicles screaming across the hellscape toward the wreck:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"Two {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA|Devil's Rides}, one driven by {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and the other by {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} (see \"{@area Chukka and Clonk|1c0|x}\"). Each kenku carries a small bag containing three {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}.",
														"A {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA} crewed by Barnabas the {@creature flameskull} (using its {@spell mage hand} spell to drive) and three {@creature Redcap|VGM|redcaps}. Clinging to the vehicle's outer hull are six {@creature Redcap|VGM|madcaps}."
													]
												},
												"{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA} has sent this force to search the wreck for machine parts and other valuables. The {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA} and the {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA|Devil's Rides} have 12 hours of fuel remaining before they need more {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}.",
												"If the characters left one or more infernal war machines parked outside the wrecked fortress, {@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA} search those vehicles while Barnabas leads the redcaps and madcaps into the lower decks of the wreck in search of treasure. If the characters left {@area Fort Knucklebone|1b3|x} on good terms with {@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}, the flameskull and the kenku won't give the party too much trouble. However, the madcaps might try to steal one of the characters' infernal war machines or inadvertently release the monster lurking in the soul intake pipe (see \"{@area Soul Intake|26c|x}\")."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W2. Alarm Console",
									"page": 120,
									"id": "272",
									"entries": [
										"Characters can access this room from the deck below by climbing up through a hatch in the floor. They can also enter this room through an iron door. Describe the room to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "273",
											"entries": [
												"Jagged gashes in the outer wall allow the hellish sky of Avernus to light this room. An open hatch in the floor leads down to the lower decks, and a metal console is plugged into one wall."
											]
										},
										"Any character who flips the switches on the console while it's plugged into the wall creates one or more of the following sound effects, which can be heard throughout the wrecked fortress:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"A blaring alarm klaxon",
												"Loud, discordant instrumental music with screaming vocals",
												"A soothing, female-sounding voice saying \"Aj ta noss iz'lech'iz ta kraj-ka-nok Asmodei das,\" which is Infernal for, \"You are important. Promotion is your destiny. Asmodeus loves you.\"",
												"A deep, devilish voice saying \"Chy'gwa urnossk!\" (\"Abandon ship!\" in Infernal) over and over"
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W3. Damaged Machinery",
									"page": 121,
									"id": "274",
									"entries": [
										"Describe this area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "275",
											"entries": [
												"Sparks rain down from torn holes in the ceiling, falling onto a pair of rectangular machines that have been torn from the walls. The machines now stand in the middle of the room, their loose wires sticking out like bad hairdos."
											]
										},
										"Each machine resembles a metal file cabinet covered with switches and dials that no longer do anything. A character who spends at least 1 hour taking apart a machine can discern its original purpose with a successful DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"The larger machine was used to scramble telepathic communications within 1 mile of the fortress.",
												"The smaller machine could send telepathic transmissions to all devils within 1 mile of the fortress."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W4. Records Room",
									"page": 121,
									"id": "276",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who listen at the iron door to this room hear an inhuman cackling sound beyond. They need {@sense darkvision} or light sources to see into the room.",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "277",
											"entries": [
												"Crouched on a pile of humanoid bones in the far, lowest corner of this room is a hunched gnoll that looks underfed. It gnaws on a bone while cackling maniacally to itself. Near its nest is another iron door.",
												"Lying on the floor near you are a pair of glass, bell-shaped horns attached to some loose wires. They look like they were removed from a pair of tall, slender, metal machines standing against the wall opposite you."
											]
										},
										"The gnoll is a shapechanged {@creature death slaad} under the effects of a {@spell feeblemind} spell. While fighting alongside Yeenoghu's demon hordes, the slaad fell into the River Styx, leaving it in a feebleminded state. In five days, it gets a new saving throw to end the effect. Any character who examines the gnoll and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check realizes that some sort of magical effect has reduced it to a witless nincompoop.",
										"While the slaad is feebleminded, its Intelligence and Charisma scores are 1, and it can't cast spells, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way. It's not even self-aware enough to revert to its normal form. It eyes characters suspiciously but doesn't attack them. It has no weapons but can use its action to bite someone on its turn:",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Bite",
											"page": 121,
											"id": "278",
											"entries": [
												"{@i Melee Weapon Attack}: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. {@i Hit}: 8 ({@dice 1d6 + 5}) piercing damage.",
												"Casting {@spell greater restoration}, {@spell heal}, or similar magic on the hapless creature restores its mental faculties, whereupon the slaad assumes its true form and attacks. As a creature of pure chaos and extreme malice, it delights in wanton destruction."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Machinery",
											"page": 121,
											"id": "279",
											"entries": [
												"The bell-shaped horns lying on the floor attach to the fronts of the two machines standing in the corner, neither of which is operational. Each machine resembles a vertical file cabinet covered with switches and burnt-out lights. A character who spends at least 1 hour taking apart a machine can discern its original purpose with a successful DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"The larger machine was used to transmit messages to other flying fortresses. (Messages were sent by speaking into the machine's glass bell.)",
														"The smaller machine was used to broadcast messages throughout the flying fortress. (One could broadcast a message by speaking into the machine's glass bell.)"
													]
												},
												"The larger machine is damaged beyond repair, but a character proficient with {@item tinker's tools|PHB} can spend 1 hour attempting to repair the smaller machine using parts scavenged from other machines on the command deck, doing so with a successful DC 15 Intelligence check. Once the machine's glass bell and a few wires are replaced, the device can be made to function for 24 hours. During this time, characters can use the device to transmit their voices throughout the wrecked fortress."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W5. Adamantine Rods",
									"page": 121,
									"id": "27a",
									"entries": [
										"This chamber is at the lowest point of the command deck. Describe the room to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "27b",
											"entries": [
												"This dark room contains a metal console that has torn free of the wall to your right. Pinned between the console and another wall is a small, desiccated, winged devil that looks like it was crushed to death. In another corner stands a 3-foot block of infernal iron\u2014a locked safe with clawed feet and a three-dial mechanism built into its thick door. Each dial bears numerals written in Infernal."
											]
										},
										"The safe is stuck to the floor with {@item sovereign glue} and can't be moved. It's also airtight, watertight, and impervious to damage and {@item thieves' tools|phb}. To unlock it, the characters need the three-digit combination. When the dials are set to {@b 6 - 6 - 6} (\"6-6-6\" in Infernal), the safe door unlocks. Three {@spell knock} spells are needed to force it open, as the safe has three separate locking mechanisms.",
										"After three unsuccessful attempts to open the safe with the wrong combination, an alarm klaxon sounds throughout the command deck. The alarm is loud enough to startle any vrocks still circling above the wreck, but the alarm attracts no one. The alarm stops after 1 minute.",
										"The safe contains nine adamantine rods, each one weighing 3 pounds and engraved with runes that spell out the words \"Solar Insidiator Lock\" in Infernal, followed by a number from 1 to 9. These are the rods that the characters are searching for. Characters familiar with {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s infernal contract recall that \"Solar Insidiator\" is another name for the Companion. Armed with this knowledge, a character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check can conclude that the rods were designed to unlock the Companion, suggesting that it might contain something.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Dead Devil",
											"page": 122,
											"id": "27c",
											"entries": [
												"A spined devil was operating the console when the fortress crashed into Avernus. The console tore free of one wall and pinned the devil against another wall, crushing it to death. The console is nonfunctional, and its original purpose can't be ascertained."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W6. Black Bell",
									"page": 122,
									"id": "27d",
									"entries": [
										"Once per minute, a hollow \"ka-clunk\" sound emanates from this room, which contains the following:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "27e",
											"entries": [
												"This room contains two rusty iron crates in one corner and an iron, bell-shaped contraption bolted to the floor in the opposite corner. The bell is nine feet tall and painted black, with several dents and dings in it. Every so often, the bell emits a loud \"ka-clunk\" sound."
											]
										},
										"Each crate contains twenty iron flasks of demon ichor (see \"{@area Demon Ichor|1a7|x}\").",
										"A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals an aura of transmutation magic around the bell-shaped contraption. Any character who examines the bell and succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check can ascertain its purpose: it kept the fortress aloft and level with the ground. The noise it makes is a rhythmic malfunction caused by the fact that the fortress is leaning to one side."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W7. Stirge Nest",
									"page": 122,
									"id": "27f",
									"entries": [
										"Describe this area to the players as follows:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "280",
											"entries": [
												"This chamber contains a stripped-down metal console and several rusty pipes that extend from floor to ceiling. One of the pipes has a two-foot-long gash in it."
											]
										},
										"The console's original purpose can't be determined.",
										"Ten {@creature Stirge||stirges} nest in the pipe with the gash in it. If the pipe is jostled or otherwise disturbed, the stirges fly out and attack."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "W8. Signal Desks",
									"page": 122,
									"id": "281",
									"entries": [
										"This hall has four doors leading off it. Behind each door is a closet with a miniature console and chair bolted to the floor. These consoles have keys and function like Infernal typewriters. An imp stationed at each console would type orders from superiors on small slips of paper before delivering them to their intended recipients. Rigged above each desk is a long, slender horn through which bridge officers could dictate their orders."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Development",
									"page": 122,
									"id": "282",
									"entries": [
										"As the characters prepare to leave, a warband arrives to scavenge the wreck. This warband is led by one of the warlords described in the \"{@area Warlords of the Avernian Wastelands|1e0|x}\" section. The characters have a few rounds to hide, set an ambush, or return to their vehicles before the enemy warband arrives.",
										"Each warlord has a different reason for visiting the wreck, as outlined below.",
										"{@b Bitter Breath}. The horned devil is thinking about turning the wreck into a base and wants to inspect it.",
										"{@b Feonor}. The archmage heard a rumor that someone has been stockpiling demon ichor inside the wreck, and she plans to steal it.",
										"{@b Princeps Kovik}. Kovik's spies in {@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s Forge have told the chain devil about the adamantine rods. Kovik plans to sell them to {@creature Mahadi the Rakshasa|BGDIA|Mahadi} (see \"{@area Mahadi, Emporium Master|299|x}\") for {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Returning the Rods to Bel",
									"page": 122,
									"id": "283",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} isn't really expecting the characters to return the nine adamantine rods to him, and he looks positively disappointed if they do. (\"We didn't even sign a contract!\" he laments.) Rather, he hoped they might use the rods to unlock the Companion, thereby freeing the planetar trapped within it and potentially ruining Zariel's plans for Elturel. Bringing the nine rods back to {@creature Bel|BGDIA} merely implicates him in the plot to free the planetar. After uttering a few choice curse words, he strongly encourages the characters to take the rods to Elturel, stick them in locks along the Companion's equator, and see what happens.",
										"Happy to let the characters keep the rods, {@creature Bel|BGDIA} makes good on his promise to reveal the location of the Bleeding Citadel. He tells the characters that the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} is a good-aligned artifact that Avernus itself has long sought to destroy. {@creature Bel|BGDIA} urges them to find the sword quickly, before the Bleeding Citadel is swallowed up by Avernus and the sword is lost forever. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is still with the party, she urges the characters to recover the sword before heading back to Elturel."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 3: Avernus - Other Locations",
			"page": 122,
			"id": "284",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/084-qhkab-03-17.webp"
					},
					"width": 1000,
					"height": 651
				},
				"Some locations marked on the players' {@adventure map of Avernus|BGDIA|3|Map 3.1: Avernus} lie outside the two quest paths. Others, like the Wandering Emporium and Zariel's Flying Fortress, move around. These locations are summarized below and described in the sections that follow.",
				"{@b Stygian Dock}. A river dock where flying fortresses can undergo repairs while siphoning souls from the Styx.",
				"{@b Styx Watchtower}. One of several fortifications along the River Styx used by devils to guard against invasion.",
				"{@b Sundered Chains}. Broken chains of Avernus that tried and failed to bind other cities before Elturel.",
				"{@b The Wandering Emporium}. A mobile marketplace built atop infernal war machines.",
				"{@b Zariel's Flying Fortress}. Zariel commands her legions from this mobile headquarters.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Stygian Dock",
					"page": 123,
					"id": "285",
					"entries": [
						"{@i The flying fortresses of Avernus need fuel, and what better fuel than the souls of the damned}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"Zariel's flying fortresses are serviced and repaired at this rusting repair dock. When the characters arrive here, read the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "286",
							"entries": [
								"A massive iron structure that appears to be a pair of docking arms straddles the River Styx and extends out over it. Hefty clamps, chains, and bars are fixed to the docking arms to lash large vessels between them."
							]
						},
						"If the players arrive here after meeting {@creature Bel|BGDIA}, Zariel's flying fortress is present (see \"{@area Zariel's Flying Fortress|2b0|x}\"). If so, read the following boxed text to your players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "287",
							"entries": [
								"A gigantic basalt citadel shaped like a sword blade is moored at the dock. The flying fortress thrums as screaming souls from the River Styx are drawn up into it."
							]
						},
						"The Stygian dock is a 100-foot-high service platform protruding from the rocky cliffs of the River Styx. The clamps, chains, and bars fixed to the upper arms of the dock hold flying fortresses in place.",
						"A {@creature horned devil} named Bazelsteen manages the dock for Zariel but yearns for the freedom to carry out its mechanical experiments. To earn its aid, visitors must first serve as test pilots for the devil's latest contraption.",
						"Twelve {@creature Barbed Devil||barbed devils} patrol the dock in groups of three devils each. If Zariel's flying fortress is present, three {@creature Bone Devil||bone devils} also circle overhead. Intruders are attacked or warned away. If the characters try to negotiate with the devils, Bazelsteen swoops down to deal with them personally.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dealing with Bazelsteen",
							"page": 123,
							"id": "288",
							"entries": [
								"Engine oil covers this horned devil, which constantly chews on a shard of smoking, red hot coal. Bazelsteen is more interested in machines than creatures and is willing to repair or modify any infernal war machine that the characters currently use. See {@adventure appendix B|BGDIA|11} for possible weapon replacements, armor upgrades, and magic gadgetry. Instead of payment, the horned devil requires that they help it complete a test (see \"Test Run 221\" below). If the characters perform this task well, Bazelsteen agrees to fully repair their infernal war machines. He also offers one free weapon swap, armor upgrade, or magical gadget.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Test Run 221",
									"page": 124,
									"id": "289",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters accept Bazelsteen's terms, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "28a",
											"entries": [
												"Bazelsteen takes you to a rusty barge anchored on the River Styx a few hundred yards from the dock. Hanging from the barge's loading crane by a rusty chain is a ten-foot-diameter, spherical diving bell made of iron and glass. Suction tubes protrude from the diving bell's lower hemisphere like flimsy arms."
											]
										},
										"Bazelsteen built the experimental bathysphere to dredge the bottom of the River Styx for silted souls. He needs to test it, but he's unwilling to risk his devils. Bazelsteen's bathysphere is a Large object that can fit up to four Medium creatures inside it. The hatch is located in the bathysphere's upper hemisphere. Bazelsteen assures the characters that the device is airtight and watertight.",
										"Bazelsteen asks the characters to secure themselves inside the diving bell while he uses the crane to lower them into the river. Their job is to use the suction arms to scoop up silted souls from the bottom of the river, which lies 40 feet below the barge. The diving bell is attached to 50 feet of chain\u2014more than enough length to reach the river's bottom. There are four \"suction stations\" inside the diving bell, each one equipped with a chair and some metal control levers.",
										"Bazelsteen knows that the diving bell has enough air to sustain one occupant for 1 hour (or four occupants for 15 minutes each). To be on the safe side, he plans to keep the diving bell submerged for only 10 minutes.",
										"If multiple characters participate in the experiment, Bazelsteen taps on the bathysphere before lowering it into the water and tells its occupants, \"Whichever of you sucks up the most silted souls gets a {@item soul coin|BGDIA}.\"",
										"Tortured souls coursing through the River Styx claw and scream at the bathysphere as they pass by. Once the bathysphere is lowered to the river bottom, characters inside it can use its siphoning tubes to suck up the silted souls that lie there. At the end of each minute, a character operating a suction station makes a Dexterity check. The number of silted souls that the character siphons is equal to the check result. The silted souls are stored in tanks attached to the bathysphere's underbelly, and dials on the tanks track the number of silted souls in each one.",
										"Fiends dine on silted souls like ambrosia. Silted souls can also be formed into lemures once they're \"rescued\" from the river's depths."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Demon Attack",
									"page": 124,
									"id": "28b",
									"entries": [
										"Ten minutes after the bathysphere is lowered into the river, ten {@creature Vrock||vrocks} swoop down from the sky and attack the Stygian dock. Bazelsteen is lured away by the attack, leaving the barge and its crane unattended. When Bazelsteen leaves, have the characters roll initiative. Characters in the bathysphere have no idea what's happening on the barge, or vice versa, and the River Styx is so dark that visibility in the water is reduced to 10 feet.",
										"Any character left on the barge can take control of the unattended crane. While seated at the crane's controls, the character can use an action to try to figure out how to operate them, doing so with a successful DC 17 Intelligence ({@skill Arcana}) check. If the check fails by 5 or more, the character accidentally drags the bathysphere {@dice 2d10} feet across the river bottom, dealing 5 ({@dice 2d4}) bludgeoning damage to all creatures inside it. It takes three consecutive, successful checks to bring the bathysphere back onto the barge.",
										"After the characters each take a turn, a {@creature glabrezu} lands on the barge and rolls initiative. On each of its turns, the demon uses its action and one of its pincers to try to snip through the bathysphere's rusty chain, doing so with a successful DC 20 Strength check. If the chain breaks, the bathysphere falls to the bottom of the River Styx and remains there until salvaged. Once the glabrezu has taken three turns, Bazelsteen returns and scares the demon away if it hasn't been defeated by then. If the bathysphere's chain breaks, Bazelsteen dubs Test Run 221 a failure and leaves the sunken party members to their doom. Otherwise, the horned devil uses the crane to hoist the bathysphere back onto the barge, dubs the experiment a success, and rewards a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} to the character who suctioned up the most silted souls.",
										"Characters in the bathysphere begin to suffocate once its air supply is depleted. Opening the hatch while the bathysphere is submerged causes the River Styx to flood the compartment, exposing its occupants to the river's effects (see \"{@area River Styx|1a3|x}\")."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Styx Watchtowers",
					"page": 124,
					"id": "28c",
					"entries": [
						"{@i The Styx is the demons' gateway into the Nine Hells. The devils keep a watchful eye on its shores}!",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"Along the banks of the River Styx stand guard towers spaced such that no demonic army can enter Avernus without being spotted. Each tower outpost is within sight of two others, and neighboring troops can quickly arrive to aid in crushing an incursion should demons emerge from the river. Zariel's devils garrison these outposts, but in lean times when the souls of Avernus are dwindling, some of these structures remain vacant. Also, the mutable landscape of Avernus leaves outposts isolated from time to time.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Watchtower Features",
							"page": 124,
							"id": "28d",
							"entries": [
								"A typical watchtower is a squat, 30-foot-tall, open-topped structure made of black basalt. Its other features are summarized below.",
								"{@b Garrison}. Unless it has been abandoned, the tower is staffed by an {@creature amnizu|MTF} commander, a {@creature chain devil} subcommander, ten {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} (each one with a {@creature hell hound} on the end of a short chain), and two {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} (see \"{@area Watchtower Locations|28e|x}\" for how these devils are deployed).",
								"{@b Bugles}. Each devil on watch duty is issued an iron bugle. Blowing the bugle is a bonus action that blasts a hideous drone audible within 300 feet.",
								"{@b Exterior Grounds}. The ground is free of cover in a 60-foot radius around the tower.",
								"{@b Wall Chains}. Barbed iron chains hang at 10-foot intervals down the exterior walls. These chains are part of the tower's defense, as the chain devil subcommander can animate them using its Animate Chains ability. Climbing a chain requires a successful DC 16 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/085-peagh-map-3-7.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 3.7: Styx Watchtower",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 155,
												"offsetX": -16,
												"offsetY": -18
											},
											"id": "3d3",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "28f",
													"points": [
														[
															451,
															2280
														],
														[
															1086,
															2166
														],
														[
															1697,
															2303
														],
														[
															1829,
															2623
														],
														[
															1846,
															3234
														],
														[
															1680,
															3543
														],
														[
															1063,
															3697
														],
														[
															480,
															3514
														],
														[
															309,
															2897
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "291",
													"points": [
														[
															2154,
															1680
														],
														[
															2297,
															1051
														],
														[
															2909,
															909
														],
														[
															3537,
															1057
														],
														[
															3703,
															1417
														],
														[
															3703,
															1960
														],
														[
															3549,
															2280
														],
														[
															2926,
															2451
														],
														[
															2309,
															2274
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "293",
													"points": [
														[
															4171,
															1080
														],
														[
															4309,
															440
														],
														[
															4943,
															291
														],
														[
															5537,
															451
														],
														[
															5720,
															789
														],
														[
															5720,
															1423
														],
														[
															5543,
															1691
														],
														[
															4926,
															1846
														],
														[
															4320,
															1686
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/085-peagh-map-3-7.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/086-4vafs-map-3-7-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 155,
												"offsetX": -14,
												"offsetY": -13
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3d3"
											}
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Watchtower Locations",
							"page": 125,
							"id": "28e",
							"entries": [
								"The following locations are keyed to map 3.7.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "T1. Ground Floor",
									"page": 125,
									"id": "28f",
									"entries": [
										"The door at ground level is a stone slab secured from within by an iron crossbar that lifts away easily but requires a DC 23 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check to break from the outside.",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "290",
											"entries": [
												"This level of the tower is drab and unadorned save for a plain, rectangular stone table set with a pair of stone benches. Spare polearms and scale armor, suitable for five Large and ten Medium devils, are stored in racks along the walls."
											]
										},
										"Ten {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} and ten {@creature Hell Hound||hell hounds} occupy this floor. There is a {@chance 30|30 percent} chance that half of the bearded devils and hell hounds are out patrolling the perimeter at any given time, returning 1 minute after combat starts unless the fighting remains very quiet.",
										"An iron ladder rises through a hole in the northwest corner wide enough to accommodate Large creatures."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "T2. Second Floor",
									"page": 125,
									"id": "291",
									"entries": [
										"The tower's {@creature amnizu|MTF} commander and a {@creature chain devil} subcommander reside here. These commanders enjoy having one or more sentient beings on hand to torture, to help alleviate boredom.",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "292",
											"entries": [
												"The floor of this room is strewn with hooked chains, and manacles are bolted to the walls. In the middle of the room, a spiked iron chair is bolted to the floor. The chair's armrests and legs are fitted with iron shackles.",
												"One corner of the room has gaping holes in the floor and ceiling, through which passes a large iron ladder leading to the tower's ground floor and rooftop."
											]
										},
										"The devils like to chain prisoners to the walls and use the spiked chair for interrogations. The chain devil can use its Animate Chains ability to animate the chains."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "T3. Roof",
									"page": 125,
									"id": "293",
									"entries": [
										"Two {@creature Spined Devil||spined devils} roost on the roof and act as lookouts and scouts. An opening in one corner grants access to the tower's interior, with an iron ladder leading down to areas T1 and T2."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Sundered Chains",
					"page": 126,
					"id": "294",
					"entries": [
						"{@i As close to a place of pilgrimage as you'll find in this accursed place. A beacon to those seeking the missing link or looking for a way out}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"When the characters arrive at one of these locations, read the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "295",
							"entries": [
								"Colossal spiked chains extend across the hellscape, their links partially buried under the ash and large chunks of masonry. Each broken chain is roughly a mile long."
							]
						},
						"Long ago, these giant chains tethered an abducted city to Avernus. That city somehow tore free, leaving behind its broken bonds and scattered chunks of masonry. The chains are similar to the ones that bind Elturel.",
						"Characters who examine a chain can tell that some intense, supernatural force caused one or more of its links to sunder. Although the cause of the damage can't be ascertained, characters can conclude that breaking the chains of Elturel is not beyond the realm of possibility.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Infernal Pilgrim",
							"page": 126,
							"id": "296",
							"entries": [
								"Chain devils often make pilgrimages to these sites. The first sundered chain the characters happen upon has a {@creature chain devil} named Zartar performing a ritual atop it.",
								"Zartar believes that the sundered chain can bestow great strength upon any chain devil that stands atop it while chanting prayers to Asmodeus. The chain devil is guarded by two {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils}, Narg and Yangor. If the characters make any noise near Zartar, they disturb the chain devil's concentration, causing all three devils to attack with fury."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "The Wandering Emporium",
					"page": 126,
					"id": "297",
					"entries": [
						"{@i Mahadi's Wandering Emporium has a knack for showing up when you least expect it}.",
						"\u2014The Cartographer",
						"A traveling bazaar winds its way across Avernus\u2014a wandering menagerie of merchants, artisans, and misfits who ply their respective trades and sell their wares under the direction of Mahadi, a rakshasa that claims Asmodeus as his patron.",
						"Most merchants in the Wandering Emporium are indentured to Mahadi's service until they pay off their soul debts. In many cases, the terms of repayment are vague enough to keep them in Mahadi's employ for as long as he deems them necessary to the operation of the Wandering Emporium.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Story Hooks",
							"page": 126,
							"id": "298",
							"entries": [
								"The characters could arrive at the Wandering Emporium for one or more of the following reasons:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"The characters need supplies, weapons, or even an infernal war machine.",
										"The characters need a safe place to rest and perhaps get a good meal.",
										"The characters might have heard that they can sell demon ichor to a crazed wizard in the Wandering Emporium.",
										"The characters might have collected more {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} than they feel comfortable carrying and need a place to spend them."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Mahadi, Emporium Master",
							"page": 126,
							"id": "299",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Mahadi the rakshasa|BGDIA} appears as a wealthy merchant lord. Though extremely powerful, Mahadi doesn't believe in taking unnecessary risks, particularly in the Nine Hells where he can be permanently slain. Mahadi acts as the eyes and ears of Asmodeus in Avernus. As a deal broker and moderator, he's privy to all manner of dealings that might otherwise escape the attention of his patron.",
								"In his role as the master of the Wandering Emporium, Mahadi has received special dispensation from Asmodeus to travel freely between the Material Plane and the Nine Hells to operate his business, as well as to pursue information and broker contracts and other such arrangements as needed.",
								"In addition to managing the Wandering Emporium, Mahadi is also the proprietor and host of {@area Infernal Rapture|2a1|x}, a restaurant and spa. Since the establishment exists within a demiplane, patrons can comfortably visit it at any time, even while the caravan is on the move. As long as they can pay for services rendered, guests need not fear being trapped within, since Mahadi is very serious about maintaining the contract between host and guest. Each guest must agree to this formal arrangement prior to gaining entrance.",
								"Mahadi has a special collection of named {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}, each of which harbors the soul of an enemy the rakshasa vanquished in the past. Mahadi consults with these souls individually, forcing them to provide insight on all manner of subjects.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Roleplaying Mahadi",
									"page": 126,
									"id": "29a",
									"entries": [
										"Outwardly, Mahadi presents himself as a charismatic and gracious host. He makes each guest of Infernal Rapture feel as though they're the most important person in all the planes of existence, catering to their every whim and desire. While he is equally cordial to all guests of the Wandering Emporium, those entering his establishment fall under a special contract and therefore rank most highly in his esteem.",
										"Of course, guests leaving Infernal Rapture are expected to pay their bills in full prior to departure. If a guest cannot pay for whatever reason, the contract they signed on entry clearly stipulates their soul is forfeit. They're required to pay off their debt through service. All such individuals fall under the effect of a {@spell geas} cast as a 9th-level spell, which cannot be willingly broken by the affected individual until their debt is paid in full. What Mahadi does with such defaulters depends on their capabilities. Some become indentured servants, working at Infernal Rapture. If they possess a talent for sales, they might eventually obtain a business to run within the Wandering Emporium.",
										"If adventurers inform Mahadi (and by extension Asmodeus) about Arkhan's possession of the {@item Hand of Vecna}, Mahadi does everything he can to strike a deal with them, offering any of the gifts listed under \"{@area Mahadi's Deals|29b|x}\" in exchange for the artifact. This is in lieu of the terms normally offered by Asmodeus.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/087-13nbu-03-18.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 697
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mahadi's Deals",
									"page": 128,
									"id": "29b",
									"entries": [
										"Mahadi has the power to make deals at the direction and with the authority of Asmodeus as if he were an archdevil (see {@adventure appendix A|BGDIA|10}). All such deals must be presented to the other party without alteration, and they are not negotiable. In all such agreements, Asmodeus wants one thing only: a character signing one of these contracts gives up their soul forever. After the signing character reaches 17th level, if at any point they die, their death is permanent, with no chance to return from the grave. Asmodeus takes their soul and makes them a {@creature pit fiend}, in his service for eternity.",
										"Mahadi can offer the following gifts in exchange for a soul contract:",
										"{@b Magic Item}. Asmodeus gifts the adventurer with a {@item rod of lordly might}, to which only the recipient and its direct descendants can attune.",
										"{@b Resurrection}. Asmodeus sends one of his loyal priest followers to cast {@spell true resurrection} on a deceased character.",
										"{@b Tiefling Transformation}. Asmodeus transforms the character into a {@race tiefling} with a direct infernal bloodline to him. Substitute the character's racial traits with {@race tiefling} racial traits."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mahadi and Zariel",
									"page": 128,
									"id": "29c",
									"entries": [
										"Zariel relies on Mahadi's services to provide supplies, magic items, and other items of value necessary for continuing her campaign in the Blood War. Infernal Rapture has also been known to host meetings or high-ranking devils as a neutral and private space.",
										"Mahadi is bound by contract with Asmodeus to not stage a coup in Avernus or directly assist others to do so. Nothing in the contract, however, states that Mahadi can't indirectly assist others in attempting to overthrow Zariel or whoever else is in control, either by imparting information or selling goods."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mahadi and Lulu",
									"page": 128,
									"id": "29d",
									"entries": [
										"When {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} arrives at the Wandering Emporium, its tantalizing sights, sounds, and smells are dimly familiar to her. Mahadi seems more familiar to {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} than anything else in the emporium, but she can't remember why.",
										"Although {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has no memory of any prior visit to the Wandering Emporium, Mahadi is happy to remind her that he sheltered {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} for a while after she became lost in Avernus. What Mahadi fails to mention is that, after earning her trust, he splashed {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} with water from the River Styx to strip her of her spellcasting abilities and memories. Mahadi then sold {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} to some devils who, in turn, delivered her back to Zariel.",
										"Mahadi is surprised to see {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} again but tries not to show it. He initially suspects that the hollyphant has come seeking revenge for the memory loss he inflicted upon her. Once he realizes that her intentions are benign, Mahadi pretends to be her friend once more."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Approaching the Wandering Emporium",
							"page": 128,
							"id": "29e",
							"entries": [
								"The Wandering Emporium travels on the backs of nine Huge infernal war machines similar to {@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA|Demon Grinders}, but with Flamethrowers and Styx Sprayers instead of Chompers and Wrecking Balls.",
								"When {@creature Mahadi the Rakshasa|BGDIA|Mahadi} finds an adequate location to set up shop, he orders his drivers to form a horseshoe-shaped defensive perimeter. As the infernal war machines grind to a halt, their crews (comprised of indentured humans, {@creature duergar}, {@creature Hobgoblin||hobgoblins}, {@creature Salamander||salamanders}, {@creature Succubus||succubi}, {@creature Incubus||incubi}, and assorted other creatures) disembark and begin unpacking tents and whatnot. All shops are open within the hour and remain open for business until Mahadi decides it's time to pack up and move elsewhere.",
								"If the characters come upon the Wandering Emporium while it's open for business, describe it to the players as follows:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "29f",
									"entries": [
										"A collection of brightly colored tents stands clustered together, creating an oasis of comfort amid the dread landscape of Avernus. Huge infernal war machines form a horseshoe about the tents, with curtains made of small, rectangular iron plates and lamps dangling from chains strung between them. Soft, lilting music and wondrous smells drift across the hot winds, inviting a closer look."
									]
								},
								"The Wandering Emporium provides a haven for all who enter and is considered neutral ground for those that might otherwise initiate a conflict. A sign posted at the entrance, strangely understandable in all languages, simply states: \"All are welcome here. No fighting! No spellcasting! No exceptions!\"",
								"Mahadi greets all visitors, directing them toward whatever establishments interest them the most while reserving the highest praise for his own beloved restaurant and spa, Infernal Rapture. There, he fulfills their every desire in an attempt to place them in his debt. If this doesn't work, he isn't averse to offering payment in exchange for services rendered. The characters are welcome to stay as long as they wish, until such time as Mahadi decides it's time to pack up and go elsewhere. Characters indebted to Mahadi can stay on with the Wandering Emporium, but only as his servants."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Wandering Emporium Businesses",
							"page": 128,
							"id": "2a0",
							"entries": [
								"The characters are free to visit any establishment in the Wandering Emporium. You can create your own businesses and add them to those presented here.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Infernal Rapture",
									"page": 129,
									"id": "2a1",
									"entries": [
										"As the owner and host of Infernal Rapture, Mahadi takes his responsibilities very seriously. Every patron that enters the demiplane that houses his establishment must sign an infernal contract. It presents a very simple arrangement stipulating that patrons must pay for everything consumed and all services used before they leave.",
										"Mahadi employs many servants, each of them under the effect of a {@spell geas} spell to provide the best service they possibly can and appear happy while they work. Most of these individuals are former patrons.",
										"Upon entry into Infernal Rapture, guests are escorted to a private chamber where they may lounge on pillows, cushions, and divans as they place orders for extravagant dishes from across the planes of existence and enjoy a variety of spa services that range from the simple and mundane to the exotic and bizarre.",
										"Since Infernal Rapture exists in a demiplane, it doesn't technically reside in the Nine Hells. If someone wanted to meet with creatures unable or unwilling to travel to the Nine Hells (or even just Avernus), this establishment provides a possible meeting location. Of course, entrance to the demiplane must be negotiated with Mahadi, with the promise of appropriate payment.",
										"Each chamber that exists inside Infernal Rapture is created for a specific purpose. When that purpose ends and the occupants of the chamber leave, that room ceases to exist unless Mahadi deems otherwise.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Dining Services",
											"page": 129,
											"id": "2a2",
											"entries": [
												"The dining menu at Infernal Rapture changes daily, providing a fixed-price selection. Sample menus are provided as player handouts in {@adventure appendix E|BGDIA|14}. A full meal costs one {@item soul coin|BGDIA}. Unlike food consumed elsewhere in Avernus, which is uniformly terrible, the food at Infernal Rapture tastes delicious.",
												"Special food requests can be filled, but they must be made weeks in advance and can be costly. Mahadi charges from five to ten {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} for an exotic request, depending on the difficulty involved in fulfilling it. Consuming a meal at Infernal Rapture has the same benefits as a {@spell heroes' feast} spell, with the added effect that those who eat the food have disadvantage on Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) checks made against Mahadi."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Spa Services",
											"page": 129,
											"id": "2a3",
											"entries": [
												"Infernal Rapture offers a variety of spa services. Light spa amenities (body, foot, and hand treatments, massage therapy, skin care, general grooming and bathing) are included along with the standard dining menu at no additional expense.",
												"Specialty services include dream therapy, whole body restoration, and longevity therapy, as well as a host of services for every appetite, both wholesome and degenerate. Each of these services costs an additional {@item soul coin|BGDIA}. Mahadi consistently and laboriously upsells further services to clients at additional expense. He seeks to take possession of such individuals and make them permanent residents of Avernus."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Firesnake Forge",
									"page": 129,
									"id": "2a4",
									"entries": [
										"This establishment is run by three {@creature Salamander||salamanders} named Rassh, Skids, and Slagg. The salamanders owe Mahadi a debt for taking them in and secreting them away after a bold escape from {@area Bel's Forge|251|x}. They operate as indentured servants, maintaining Mahadi's infernal war machines while also crafting wares for sale to visitors. From time to time, Mahadi sends them abroad to procure parts to refurbish the caravan. Nine {@creature Magmin||magmins} and eight suits of {@creature animated armor} assist the salamanders with their work.",
										"The salamanders' infernal war machine has been cobbled together from a half dozen others. At a moment's notice, the vehicle can separate into three smaller infernal war machines, each piloted by one of the salamanders. Treat these smaller vehicles as {@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA|Tormentors}.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Weapons and Armor",
											"page": 129,
											"id": "2a5",
											"entries": [
												"All metal armor and weapons listed in {@book chapter 5|PHB|5} of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB} are available for sale at this shop, at a 150 percent markup."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Infernal War Machine Repair",
											"page": 129,
											"id": "2a6",
											"entries": [
												"The salamanders can repair a damaged but functional infernal war machine at a cost of 50 gp per hit point restored."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Burney the Barber",
									"page": 129,
									"id": "2a7",
									"entries": [
										"Burney appears as a cheerful, well-kept Calishite woman. She provides all services any proficient barber might, up to and including medical attention for those with injuries or ailments. For healing purposes, treat Burney as though she has the {@feat Healer||Healer feat} as well as proficiency with both the {@item healer's kit|PHB} and the {@item herbalism kit|PHB}.",
										"While she works, Burney tells all manner of stories, making them up as she goes along, but always with a moral at the end. Burney's stories might point toward an achievable objective, if the customer is of good alignment and inclined to take direction from the chatty barber.",
										"Burney is, in fact, an {@creature ancient copper dragon} named Balarystul. Burney resides in Avernus on direct assignment from Bahamut, keeping an eye out for signs of increased activity among Tiamat's followers. After the last time the queen of evil dragons tried to escape the Nine Hells, those who oppose her are taking no chances. Burney is particularly interested in any information about the activities of {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA} (see \"{@area Arkhan the Cruel|24f|x}\").",
										"Burney has received several blessings in her service to Bahamut:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Unless Burney decided otherwise, once any creature less powerful than a deity has taken three steps from her, they can no longer remember her or having interacted with her specifically.",
												"Burney is under the effect of a permanent {@spell mind blank} spell, and cannot be detected by magical or mundane means unless she wishes it. In exchange for this blessing, Burney can take no direct action against the denizens of the Nine Hells, though she can certainly enlist the help of those who can.",
												"Burney always knows the location of the Wandering Emporium and can transport herself there as though by a {@spell word of recall} spell. This explains why Burney simply seems to appear amid the fully deployed marketplace each morning it is active to provide service and tell stories.",
												"Once each day, when Burney so desires, she can instantly transport herself to the court of Bahamut via a powerful blessing akin to the {@spell plane shift} spell."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Barber Pricing",
											"page": 130,
											"id": "2a8",
											"entries": [
												"Burney charges 1 gp for each service involving grooming. Burney can provide some small amount of magic healing, but only does so for good-aligned creatures, and at no cost.",
												"If someone offers Burney a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} for any reason, she looks extremely disappointed and turns it down. She refuses even to touch one."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "From Here to Avernus",
									"page": 130,
									"id": "2a9",
									"entries": [
										"Fhet'Ahla, an {@creature amnizu|MTF}, provides {@creature Imp||imps} as couriers as well as a variety of spellcasting services for transmitting information over long distances. The more secure the means, however, the more expensive the service. Additionally, Fhet'Ahla acts as an exchange for {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}, offering 100 gp in coins or gemstones for each {@item soul coin|BGDIA} delivered, and can serve as an official notary for the signing of infernal contracts.",
										"Fhet'Ahla failed a critical mission at some point in the past and gained the disfavor of Asmodeus. As a punishment, Asmodeus posted him with Mahadi. While Fhet'Ahla doesn't owe Mahadi any kind of debt, he is on the wrong side of Asmodeus and has no idea how many centuries this service will last. The amnizu is also forbidden from challenging Mahadi's authority in all matters pertaining to the operation of the Wandering Emporium or any other special assignments the rakshasa receives from Asmodeus.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Delivery Pricing",
											"page": 130,
											"id": "2aa",
											"entries": [
												"Fhet'Ahla charges a single {@item soul coin|BGDIA} for parcel deliveries weighing 5 pounds or less. For a larger parcel (up to 50 pounds), he charges two {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Notary Pricing",
											"page": 130,
											"id": "2ab",
											"entries": [
												"Fhet'Ahla charges a single {@item soul coin|BGDIA} for notary services and collects a single {@item soul coin|BGDIA} for exchanges that don't involve the soul of a celestial. If a celestial is involved, he collects ten {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ichor's Aweigh!",
									"page": 130,
									"id": "2ac",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Elliach|BGDIA}, a lawful evil human {@creature mage}, collects and sells flasks of {@area demon ichor|1a7|x}. Exposure to demon ichor has warped {@creature Elliach|BGDIA} in the following ways:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"{@creature Elliach|BGDIA}'s arms have become tentacles with fingers at the ends, increasing his reach by 5 feet.",
												"{@creature Elliach|BGDIA}'s ears sprouted wings and flew away. Consequently, he is deaf. He relies on lip-reading and hand gestures."
											]
										},
										"{@creature Elliach|BGDIA} met Mahadi while on the run from debt collectors. Mahadi saw the value in paying off {@creature Elliach|BGDIA}'s debts and bringing him to Avernus to work in the Wandering Emporium. Thought to be insane by many of the other vendors, {@creature Elliach|BGDIA} uses demon ichor in a host of magical experiments, none of which seem to have the intended results.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Demon Ichor Prices",
											"page": 130,
											"id": "2ad",
											"entries": [
												"{@creature Elliach|BGDIA} sells demon ichor for 100 gp a flask and buys demon ichor for 25 gp a flask."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Z'neth's Larva Farm",
									"page": 130,
									"id": "2ae",
									"entries": [
										"Z'neth is a bitter, old {@creature hobgoblin warlord} who buys and sells {@creature Larva|DMG|larvae} (see {@book chapter 2|DMG|2|Hades} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} for statistics). Mahadi facilitated Z'neth's rise to power, helping him destroy entire kingdoms on the Material Plane. Z'neth's conquests eventually caught the eye of the mighty god Maglubiyet, who offered Z'neth a command on the battlefields of Gehenna. Before he could wrack up his first victory on that plane, however, Mahadi collected on Z'neth's debt and bore him away to Avernus, where he languishes in obscurity, far from the planar battlefield he had hoped to die on.",
										"Z'neth procures larvae from yugoloths and sells them at marked-up prices to hags and other interested buyers, giving half his proceeds to Mahadi in exchange for food and other necessities. Z'neth's wares are of little interest to adventurers. However, Z'neth is fond of using his profits to hire assassins to kill Mahadi, which the rakshasa finds endlessly amusing.",
										"If the characters pay his establishment a visit, Z'neth offers them nine {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} (all he has) for Mahadi's head. A {@spell geas} spell prevents the hobgoblin from divulging Mahadi's true form. Mahadi greets Z'neth's would-be assassins with a smile and is more than happy to accept Z'neth's {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} as payment for goods and services at his fine restaurant.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Larvae",
											"page": 130,
											"id": "2af",
											"entries": [
												"At any given time, Z'neth has {@dice 2d6} {@creature Larva|DMG|larvae} trapped in cages. He charges one {@item soul coin|BGDIA} per larva."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Zariel's Flying Fortress",
					"page": 130,
					"id": "2b0",
					"entries": [
						"This 450-foot-tall structure is mobile and therefore doesn't appear on the poster map of Avernus or on {@adventure map 3.1|BGDIA|3|Map 3.1: Avernus}. From this flying fortress, Zariel oversees the defense of her infernal realm.",
						"Attempting to infiltrate the fortress while it's on the move proves lethal due to the hundreds of devils onboard. While undergoing repairs and refueling at the Stygian Dock (see \"{@area Stygian Dock|285|x}\"), Zariel and most of her crew aren't present, leaving the fortress with a skeleton crew that consists of the following hostile forces:",
						{
							"type": "list",
							"items": [
								"An {@creature erinyes} named Nariangela, who guards the bridge on the command deck (the fortress's topmost deck)",
								"Eighteen {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} in plate armor (AC 18), patrolling the lower decks in pairs",
								"Three {@creature Bone Devil||bone devils}, circling above the fortress"
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Infiltrating the Fortress",
							"page": 130,
							"id": "2b1",
							"entries": [
								"Characters can enter Zariel's flying fortress using any of the following routes.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rooftop Hatch",
									"page": 130,
									"id": "2b2",
									"entries": [
										"Characters capable of flight can enter the flying fortress through an unlocked, 10-foot-square hatch on the flat top of the flying fortress. The hatch is watched by the bone devils that fly above the fortress and leads to a corridor just outside the bridge on the command deck. The corridor is not guarded while the flying fortress is moored at the Stygian Dock."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Signal Vents",
									"page": 130,
									"id": "2b3",
									"entries": [
										"Tiny hatches in the hull connect to 1-foot-diameter chutes that ascend to the vessel's command deck. During battle, Zariel's imp couriers use these chutes to enter and exit the flying fortress. Characters reduced to Tiny size or in gaseous form can navigate these narrow chutes to reach the command deck."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Soul Intake Pipe",
									"page": 131,
									"id": "2b4",
									"entries": [
										"Souls from the River Styx are drawn up into the flying fortress through a grilled vent at the bottom end of the fortress. This vent leads to a 5-foot-diameter, iron pipe that ascends through the body of the flying fortress to a 10-foot-diameter, spherical iron cistern directly below the command deck. The pipe is 400 feet long from top to bottom and has access hatches leading to each of the lower decks, but not the command deck.",
										"Necrotic energy floods the soul intake pipe and cistern while the flying fortress is docked above the River Styx. While the pipe is siphoning souls out of the Styx and storing them in the cistern, any creature that enters the pipe or cistern for the first time on its turn or starts its turn in either location takes 16 ({@dice 3d10}) necrotic damage.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/088-ok5br-03-19.webp"
											},
											"width": 382,
											"height": 1000
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Moving the Fortress",
							"page": 131,
							"id": "2b5",
							"entries": [
								"Characters who defeat the erinyes on the bridge might try to commandeer the flying fortress. However, there are no controls for moving or steering the fortress, as its movements are controlled telepathically by Zariel, and only while she's aboard. No one else can move the flying fortress."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Sabotaging the Fortress",
							"page": 131,
							"id": "2b6",
							"entries": [
								"Characters can sabotage the fortress by disabling or destroying a bell-like contraption on the bridge. This contraption is identical to the one in {@area area W6|27d|x} on the {@area wrecked flying fortress|267|x}, except that it's not making any strange noises beyond a low, barely audible hum. This device keeps the flying fortress aloft and level. Encasing the giant bell in an {@spell antimagic field} or destroying it causes the fortress to crash. The contraption is a Large object with AC 19, a damage threshold of 10, 45 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.",
								"Crashing the fortress destroys it. Any creature aboard the flying fortress when it crashes takes 70 ({@dice 20d6}) bludgeoning damage plus 70 ({@dice 20d6}) fire damage, and falls {@condition prone} amid the twisted wreckage."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Stowing Away",
							"page": 131,
							"id": "2b7",
							"entries": [
								"Characters can stow away inside the flying fortress while it's moored at the Stygian Dock, provided they sneak aboard without being detected. When the flying fortress is repaired and refueled, Zariel returns with the rest of her crew and takes the flying fortress to the front lines of the Blood War.",
								"Whenever Zariel is aboard the flying fortress, its crew complement consists of hundreds of devils\u2014too many for characters to defeat without an army behind them. Deck patrols are bolstered by erinyes using {@sense truesight} to search for ethereal and {@condition invisible} enemies, making it unlikely that stowaways will stay hidden for long.",
								"If the characters allow themselves to get caught, they are hauled before Zariel on the command deck, where she is joined by a {@creature pit fiend} general and six {@creature erinyes} bridge officers, including Nariangela. A dozen {@creature Bearded Devil||bearded devils} in plate armor (AC 18) stand guard. For advice on roleplaying Zariel, see {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|8}."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Poor Devil: Thavius Kreeg",
							"page": 132,
							"id": "2b8",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters killed {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} in {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}, his soul ends up in the Nine Hells, where it emerges from the River Styx as a lemure. Zariel instantly becomes aware of Thavius's fate and retrieves him. After promoting Thavius to an amnizu devil for his faithful service, Zariel confines him until Elturel's destruction. The characters find Thavius trapped in a cell aboard Zariel's flying fortress, feeling sorry for himself.",
								"Characters who search the lower decks of Zariel's flying fortress hear sobs coming from an unguarded cellblock. If they investigate the sobbing, read the following boxed text to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "2b9",
									"entries": [
										"Through the bars of a cell, you see a sobbing figure huddled in the shadows. It appears to be a paunchy devil with small wings and horns, bound by shackles to the far wall. The walls of his cell are covered with blasphemous runes that glow with an infernal red light."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/089-zbxl3-03-20.webp"
									},
									"width": 381,
									"height": 1000
								},
								"The pitiable figure in the cell is {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}, now an {@creature amnizu|MTF}. If the characters met Thavius when he was human, they recognize him in his devil form with a successful DC 10 Wisdom ({@skill Perception}) check. The locked cell door can be forced open with a successful DC 25 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check, or a character can use {@item thieves' tools|phb} to try to pick its lock, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check.",
								"Thavius poses no threat to the characters in his current predicament, and his shackles aren't long enough to let him get close to the cell door. Characters can kill him at range without even entering the cell, if they wish, by launching attacks through the bars. However, Thavius screams in agony whenever he takes damage, which might attract nearby patrols of bearded devils, at your discretion.",
								"Once Elturel is pulled down into the River Styx, Thavius believes Zariel will set him free, but until then he's content to wallow in self-pity. He didn't expect to end up in the Nine Hells so soon. See {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|8} for more information on how to roleplay the devil Thavius.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Symbols and Shackles",
									"page": 132,
									"id": "2ba",
									"entries": [
										"The symbols on the walls prevent creatures from teleporting into and out of the cell. For example, a creature can't use {@spell misty step} or {@spell dimension door} to enter or leave the cell. However, the cell does not prohibit creatures from entering or leaving via altered forms. For example, a creature in gaseous form can slip between the bars to enter or leave the cell, as can any creature thin enough to pass between the bars.",
										"Only Zariel can unlock Thavius's shackles, though a creature can break them with a successful DC 25 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check. The shackles can also be attacked; they have AC 19, a damage threshold of 15, hp 20, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Roaming Encounter: Smiler the Defiler",
					"page": 133,
					"id": "2bb",
					"entries": [
						"Characters can encounter {@creature Smiler the Defiler|BGDIA} anywhere in Avernus. Where and when he appears is up to you.",
						"This eladrin adventurer from the Feywild became stranded in Avernus after his companions abandoned him. He has spent the past seventy years roaming Avernus, making deals with fiends to survive. Smiler eventually sold his soul to a pit fiend, who gave him the means to topple a nycaloth warlord named Yarrasto. Smiler took control of the nycaloth's warband and their infernal war machines. Smiler's gang came to be known as Smiler's Defilers, and their ferocity terrified the other warlords of Avernus for a while.",
						"Three of Smiler's rivals\u2014{@creature Bitter Breath|BGDIA}, {@creature Feonor|BGDIA}, and {@creature Princeps Kovik|BGDIA}\u2014joined forces to wipe out Smiler's Defilers. Smiler escaped and tears around Avernus on a {@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA}, looking for adventurers willing to help him get revenge on the warlords who ganged up on him. {@area Mad Maggie|1bc|x} remains his only ally, though he refuses to join her gang.",
						"When the characters first encounter Smiler, read or paraphrase the following:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "2bc",
							"entries": [
								"You see an two-wheeled infernal war machine parked next to a large rock. Standing atop the rock, peeing into the hot wind, is a slender elf-like figure."
							]
						},
						"Smiler has an unnerving smile\u2014hence his name. When he sees the characters, his smile widens as he leaps down to greet them.",
						"A more apt name for this eladrin would be Smiler the Beguiler, as he's constantly trying to intoxicate others with his relentless optimism and shocking recklessness. Smiler thinks he can accomplish anything with a positive attitude and some death-defying stunt. Although he admits others might end up getting killed by his actions, he believes he can bend the multiverse to his whims if he tries hard enough. He's really quite insane.",
						"One of Smiler's favorite antics is to use a {@spell hallucinatory terrain} spell to create a little bit of the Feywild in Avernus: a beautiful woodland glade in which to lose himself for a few hours while he meditates and plots.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"id": "2bd",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Treasure",
									"page": 133,
									"id": "2be",
									"entries": [
										"Smiler wears {@item +2 leather armor}. He carries seven {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} in a bag and a {@item +1 shortsword}.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/090-637000767383854885.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Smiler the Defiler|BGDIA}",
											"width": 400,
											"height": 788
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 4: Sword of Zariel",
			"page": 134,
			"id": "2bf",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/091-ojqdd-04-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1000,
					"height": 640
				},
				"The characters should be 11th level by the time they discover the location of the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. The weapon awaits them in a cathedral formed out of positive energy. Avernus abhors the structure and has surrounded it in a bloody scab, earning it the name the Bleeding Citadel. This scab has also engulfed a demon named {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} that was sent by the demon lord Yeenoghu to devour the blade. The holy power of the citadel resists the scab's attempts to fully engulf it and make it one with Avernus, leaving the top of the citadel visible. The characters get directions to this location from {@creature Bel|BGDIA} or Olanthius in {@adventure chapter 3|BGDIA|3}.",
				"Yeenoghu's demons carve tunnels through the scab as they search for a way to free {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} and break into the Bleeding Citadel, which is otherwise impenetrable. A nalfeshnee named Trantolox oversees this force.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Approaching the Citadel",
					"page": 134,
					"id": "2c0",
					"entries": [
						"As the characters approach the Bleeding Citadel, read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "2c1",
							"entries": [
								"A great, disgusting scab the size of a large hill rises up from a stinking swamp of blood. The domed top of an alabaster temple pokes through the scab. Many black iron chains of Avernus converge on the building, attaching within the grotesque mound."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/092-nerf8-flowchart-4-1.webp"
							},
							"title": "Diagram 4.1: Chapter 4 Flowchart",
							"width": 627,
							"height": 1000
						},
						"The exposed portions of the Bleeding Citadel are impenetrable and indestructible. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is with the characters, she shares her fear that the scab will eventually cover the entire structure, whereupon the citadel will be absorbed into the Nine Hells and the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} lost forever. She also tells the characters that the only entrance to the citadel is covered by the lower portion of the scab.",
						"Yeenoghu's demons have dug tunnels and chambers throughout the scab. Unless otherwise noted, Yeenoghu's forces attack characters they notice and fight until destroyed."
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "The Scab",
					"page": 134,
					"id": "2c2",
					"entries": [
						"The scab is 300 feet high. The lower 100 feet of the scab is hard as rock, and each 5-foot cube of hard scab has AC 17, 18 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The upper 200 feet is newer, softer growth covered in weeping wounds. This part of the scab has a spongy consistency and is much easier to destroy. A 5-foot cube of soft scab has AC 9, 10 hit points, and immunity to psychic damage. Damage to the soft scab causes reeking blood to flow from the wound.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Entering the Scab",
							"page": 134,
							"id": "2c3",
							"entries": [
								"The most obvious way to enter the Scab is through a hole near the top of the Scab ({@area area S1|2c6|x}). Climbing a chain or the outer surface of the scab to reach this hole requires a successful DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
								"Once inside the Scab, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} can sense the distance and direction of the Bleeding Citadel's entrance ({@area area S14|2e4|x}), and guide the characters toward it."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Interior Features",
							"page": 135,
							"id": "2c4",
							"entries": [
								"Map 4.1 shows a cross-section of the scab interior, the features of which are as follows:",
								"{@b Darkness}. The scab contains no light sources unless the text states otherwise. The demons infesting the scab rely on {@sense darkvision} to see.",
								"{@b Interior Surfaces}. All tunnels and chambers were dug out by demons using their claws or, in some cases, their teeth.",
								"{@b Pools of Blood}. Pools of blood fill the areas shown on map 4.1. The pools are {@quickref difficult terrain||3}. Any humanoid that enters or starts its turn in a pool must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature gains the flaw, \"I am cruel and uncaring toward others,\" for the next 8 hours. This flaw overrides any conflicting personality trait. A {@spell dispel evil and good} spell or similar magic removes the flaw.",
								"{@b Tunnel Dimensions}. Unless noted otherwise, tunnels are 10 feet wide. At various points, the ceilings are so low that Medium characters must crawl to pass underneath them."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Scab Locations",
							"page": 135,
							"id": "2c5",
							"entries": [
								"The following encounters are keyed to {@adventure map 4.1|BGDIA|7|Map 4.1: Side View of the Scab}. Because the scab wraps around the Bleeding Citadel, a creature can move off the left-hand side of the map onto the right-hand side of the map, or vice versa.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S1. Oozing Entrance",
									"page": 135,
									"id": "2c6",
									"entries": [
										"This entrance to the scab is a tube-shaped tunnel with a 20-foot radius. As the characters approach the entrance, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2c7",
											"entries": [
												"A circular gaping wound near the top of the scab forms a tunnel that descends into darkness."
											]
										},
										"The tunnel tapers as it descends toward area S2."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S2. Angelic Window",
									"page": 135,
									"id": "2c8",
									"entries": [
										"Demons digging in this tunnel exposed a 20-foot-tall, 5-foot-wide window:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2c9",
											"entries": [
												"The scab on one side of this narrow passage is stripped away, partially revealing one of the citadel's stained glass windows. The opaque blue and yellow panes depict the contemplative face of a beautiful angel."
											]
										},
										"A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals that the window radiates an aura of abjuration magic. The window is unbreakable, and no one can enter the citadel from here. Any creature of good alignment that touches the window gains 20 temporary hit points. A creature affected by the window's magic cannot be affected by the window again for 24 hours."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S3. Drowned Hag",
									"page": 135,
									"id": "2ca",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this 30-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2cb",
											"entries": [
												"A pool of blood fills the center of this chamber. Five goat-headed demons reeking of rot crouch along the edges of the pool, staring at a corpse floating in it."
											]
										},
										"Five {@creature Bulezau|MTF|bulezaus} drowned a night hag in the pool. The hag, Yiggleblight, was working with Trantolox to find {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} until the nalfeshnee suspected the hag was secretly plotting against it. Trantolox ordered the bulezaus to kill the hag. They plan to eat her once the corpse bloats, but the characters make excellent appetizers.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 135,
											"id": "2cc",
											"entries": [
												"If the characters search the hag's tattered robes, they find a belt pouch containing a diamond worth 5,000 gp and small flask of water from the River Styx. The flask magically preserves the water (see \"{@area River Styx|1a3|x}\" for effects)."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S4. Bloody Downpour",
									"page": 135,
									"id": "2cd",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this 40-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2ce",
											"entries": [
												"Blood streams down from a gaping wound in the ceiling, filling a large pool that covers the floor of this chamber. A hunk of scab floats in the blood."
											]
										},
										"Three {@condition invisible} {@creature Barlgura||barlguras} cling to the walls of this chamber, their claws digging into the soft walls. The demons wait for prey to enter the room before attacking. They hungrily pursue more elusive prey.",
										"The barlguras tore the floating chunk of scab from the center of the ceiling, causing blood to pour out of the wound. A character who expends five uses of a {@item healer's kit|PHB} and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Medicine}) check bandages the wound effectively enough to stop the downpour. This process takes 5 minutes and exposes the character to the blood's effects (see \"{@area Interior Features|2c4|x}\"). A {@spell cure wounds} spell or similar magic cast on the wound closes it, stanching the blood flow."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S5. Food Fight",
									"page": 136,
									"id": "2cf",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this 30-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2d0",
											"entries": [
												"Two fiends resembling scaly, 9-foot-tall, bipedal toads stand waist-deep in a pool of blood, bellowing as they claw at each other. Floating near them is the half-eaten corpse of a bearded devil clutching a glaive. The pool is 20 feet wide and 40 feet long, with a horseshoe-shaped ledge around it."
											]
										},
										"Two hungry {@creature Hezrou||hezrous} fight over the devil's tasty corpse. Unless they notice the characters, the demons battle until one of them is killed. If the characters allow the fight to play out, one hezrou emerges victorious with 30 hit points remaining. Characters have advantage on Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) checks made to sneak past the hezrous while the demons fight each other.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 136,
											"id": "2d1",
											"entries": [
												"The half-eaten bearded devil clutches a {@item +1 glaive}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S6. Torture Chamber",
									"page": 136,
									"id": "2d2",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this large, 30-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2d3",
											"entries": [
												"Two iron chains attached to the ceiling end in hyena skulls that bite into the flesh of a screaming devil with sharp spines covering its thin, man-sized body. Jabbing the chained fiend with their long proboscises are three droning flies as big as horses."
											]
										},
										"The chained fiend is Alazub, a {@creature barbed devil} with 25 hit points remaining. The giant flies are three {@creature Chasme||chasmes}. Characters who enter the chamber are susceptible to the chasmes' Drone trait. The chasmes cease their torture of Alazub to attack intruders.",
										"Trantolox caught Alazub sneaking around the scab and wants to know if the devil knows anything about the citadel that could help the demons break into it. Unfortunately for the barbed devil, it knows nothing that the nalfeshnee would consider useful.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Chains",
											"page": 136,
											"id": "2d4",
											"entries": [
												"The two chains that bind Alazub hold the barbed devil 25 feet above the floor. Each chain has AC 19, 15 hit points, and immunity to cold, fire, poison, and psychic damage.",
												"The hyena skull at the end of each chain grips Alazub by one arm, biting into the devil's flesh. A character can use an action to rip a skull from Alazub's flesh, but doing so deals 7 ({@dice 2d6}) piercing damage to the devil. This damage is considered magical and therefore ignores Alazub's resistance to piercing damage. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom ({@skill Medicine}) check removes the skull-tipped chain from the devil without harming it."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Roleplaying Alazub",
											"page": 136,
											"id": "2d5",
											"entries": [
												"Alazub came to the scab to spy on Trantolox's progress for Zariel. If Alazub is freed, a character who makes a successful Charisma ({@skill Deception}) check against Alazub's Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check can convince the devil that Zariel sent the characters to save it. If convinced that the characters are on its side, a character who makes a successful DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check convinces Alazub to share the following information:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"Demons under the command of a {@creature nalfeshnee} named Trantolox have found the entrance to the Bleeding Citadel but can't break in (see {@area area S14|2e4|x}).",
														"A shadow demon has found Yeenoghu's lost pet, the great demon {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}, in the hard part of the scab. It leads the crew of demons that is digging out the enormous creature (see {@area area S9|2db|x})."
													]
												},
												"If the characters refuse to free Alazub, the barbed devil tries to make a deal. It can offer the information it knows or anything else within its power in exchange for freedom. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is with the characters, she urges the characters not to make any deals with the devil and grows despondent if her advice is ignored. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} refuses to do anything but the bare minimum to help the characters until her confidence in their good judgment is restored.",
												"If the characters mention their interest in the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, Alazub realizes they are Zariel's foes and makes reporting that information to Zariel a priority. After being freed and talking with the characters, the barbed devil leaves the scab."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S7. Trantolox's Larder",
									"page": 136,
									"id": "2d6",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this 20-foot-wide cavern, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2d7",
											"entries": [
												"Hordes of hellish flies buzz around this dark chamber, which is strewn with mutilated devil corpses and gnawed bones. A hole in the floor reveals another dark cavern below this one."
											]
										},
										"Close examination of the mutilated corpses reveals that they include three bearded devils, two barbed devils, and a bone devil. All of the corpses are torn to pieces and, in some cases, partially eaten.",
										"The first time a creature that isn't a fiend tries to cross this room, the flies gather into four hostile {@creature Swarm of Insects||swarms of insects}. Replace the swarms' climbing speed with a flying speed of 30 feet.",
										{
											"type": "gallery",
											"images": [
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/093-p7lnx-map-4-1.webp"
													},
													"title": "Map 4.1: Side View of the Scab",
													"width": 5606,
													"height": 4000,
													"imageType": "map",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 128,
														"offsetX": 50,
														"offsetY": -4,
														"distance": 10
													},
													"id": "3d4",
													"mapRegions": [
														{
															"area": "2d2",
															"points": [
																[
																	40,
																	1508
																],
																[
																	142,
																	1542
																],
																[
																	212,
																	1517
																],
																[
																	298,
																	1526
																],
																[
																	366,
																	1585
																],
																[
																	498,
																	1625
																],
																[
																	566,
																	1671
																],
																[
																	649,
																	1692
																],
																[
																	689,
																	1778
																],
																[
																	643,
																	1840
																],
																[
																	628,
																	1905
																],
																[
																	538,
																	1942
																],
																[
																	538,
																	2006
																],
																[
																	425,
																	2043
																],
																[
																	345,
																	2074
																],
																[
																	231,
																	2129
																],
																[
																	40,
																	2163
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2d6",
															"points": [
																[
																	1698,
																	1683
																],
																[
																	1797,
																	1671
																],
																[
																	1840,
																	1606
																],
																[
																	1892,
																	1588
																],
																[
																	1975,
																	1622
																],
																[
																	1982,
																	1822
																],
																[
																	1942,
																	1871
																],
																[
																	1862,
																	1877
																],
																[
																	1791,
																	1855
																],
																[
																	1738,
																	1837
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2ca",
															"points": [
																[
																	2120,
																	782
																],
																[
																	2203,
																	662
																],
																[
																	2258,
																	643
																],
																[
																	2305,
																	643
																],
																[
																	2388,
																	702
																],
																[
																	2471,
																	689
																],
																[
																	2526,
																	702
																],
																[
																	2674,
																	782
																],
																[
																	2695,
																	846
																],
																[
																	2668,
																	877
																],
																[
																	2652,
																	951
																],
																[
																	2572,
																	1009
																],
																[
																	2474,
																	1025
																],
																[
																	2418,
																	1080
																],
																[
																	2326,
																	1055
																],
																[
																	2249,
																	988
																],
																[
																	2182,
																	972
																],
																[
																	2157,
																	917
																],
																[
																	2102,
																	822
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2d8",
															"points": [
																[
																	2102,
																	2018
																],
																[
																	2166,
																	1991
																],
																[
																	2249,
																	1966
																],
																[
																	2314,
																	1982
																],
																[
																	2369,
																	1932
																],
																[
																	2443,
																	1942
																],
																[
																	2508,
																	1988
																],
																[
																	2658,
																	1985
																],
																[
																	2698,
																	2018
																],
																[
																	2763,
																	2046
																],
																[
																	2763,
																	2114
																],
																[
																	2720,
																	2194
																],
																[
																	2637,
																	2209
																],
																[
																	2582,
																	2163
																],
																[
																	2498,
																	2175
																],
																[
																	2422,
																	2178
																],
																[
																	2357,
																	2166
																],
																[
																	2274,
																	2163
																],
																[
																	2237,
																	2129
																],
																[
																	2157,
																	2108
																],
																[
																	2105,
																	2089
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2e4",
															"points": [
																[
																	28,
																	3095
																],
																[
																	77,
																	3092
																],
																[
																	102,
																	3117
																],
																[
																	157,
																	3062
																],
																[
																	277,
																	3068
																],
																[
																	268,
																	3015
																],
																[
																	354,
																	2951
																],
																[
																	431,
																	2883
																],
																[
																	520,
																	2892
																],
																[
																	625,
																	2868
																],
																[
																	708,
																	2895
																],
																[
																	831,
																	2898
																],
																[
																	880,
																	3080
																],
																[
																	831,
																	3148
																],
																[
																	905,
																	3203
																],
																[
																	862,
																	3302
																],
																[
																	766,
																	3332
																],
																[
																	742,
																	3378
																],
																[
																	625,
																	3409
																],
																[
																	588,
																	3489
																],
																[
																	668,
																	3538
																],
																[
																	742,
																	3572
																],
																[
																	809,
																	3646
																],
																[
																	868,
																	3748
																],
																[
																	942,
																	3843
																],
																[
																	991,
																	3905
																],
																[
																	951,
																	3948
																],
																[
																	797,
																	3938
																],
																[
																	594,
																	3948
																],
																[
																	397,
																	3932
																],
																[
																	28,
																	3954
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2c6",
															"points": [
																[
																	385,
																	15
																],
																[
																	292,
																	135
																],
																[
																	268,
																	169
																],
																[
																	351,
																	237
																],
																[
																	369,
																	314
																],
																[
																	422,
																	348
																],
																[
																	431,
																	434
																],
																[
																	403,
																	668
																],
																[
																	329,
																	689
																],
																[
																	237,
																	618
																],
																[
																	218,
																	502
																],
																[
																	111,
																	397
																],
																[
																	37,
																	412
																],
																[
																	37,
																	15
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2c8",
															"points": [
																[
																	883,
																	369
																],
																[
																	880,
																	468
																],
																[
																	865,
																	603
																],
																[
																	892,
																	708
																],
																[
																	963,
																	686
																],
																[
																	1022,
																	748
																],
																[
																	1058,
																	957
																],
																[
																	1185,
																	911
																],
																[
																	1268,
																	818
																],
																[
																	1360,
																	772
																],
																[
																	1418,
																	794
																],
																[
																	1520,
																	785
																],
																[
																	1612,
																	695
																],
																[
																	1566,
																	628
																],
																[
																	1474,
																	628
																],
																[
																	1415,
																	582
																],
																[
																	1320,
																	572
																],
																[
																	1292,
																	520
																],
																[
																	1175,
																	471
																],
																[
																	1212,
																	418
																],
																[
																	1311,
																	406
																],
																[
																	1351,
																	342
																],
																[
																	1369,
																	262
																],
																[
																	1212,
																	292
																],
																[
																	1114,
																	289
																],
																[
																	1018,
																	329
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2cd",
															"points": [
																[
																	4209,
																	452
																],
																[
																	4308,
																	412
																],
																[
																	4314,
																	357
																],
																[
																	4394,
																	348
																],
																[
																	4489,
																	375
																],
																[
																	4588,
																	443
																],
																[
																	4628,
																	477
																],
																[
																	4702,
																	465
																],
																[
																	4775,
																	489
																],
																[
																	4818,
																	526
																],
																[
																	4895,
																	545
																],
																[
																	4926,
																	572
																],
																[
																	4942,
																	618
																],
																[
																	4935,
																	665
																],
																[
																	4951,
																	708
																],
																[
																	4914,
																	732
																],
																[
																	4846,
																	738
																],
																[
																	4822,
																	782
																],
																[
																	4766,
																	806
																],
																[
																	4714,
																	775
																],
																[
																	4671,
																	757
																],
																[
																	4622,
																	769
																],
																[
																	4517,
																	809
																],
																[
																	4452,
																	778
																],
																[
																	4385,
																	723
																],
																[
																	4351,
																	665
																],
																[
																	4286,
																	643
																],
																[
																	4212,
																	582
																],
																[
																	4197,
																	517
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2cf",
															"points": [
																[
																	3606,
																	754
																],
																[
																	3668,
																	677
																],
																[
																	3732,
																	662
																],
																[
																	3785,
																	692
																],
																[
																	3815,
																	708
																],
																[
																	3874,
																	671
																],
																[
																	3969,
																	683
																],
																[
																	4022,
																	705
																],
																[
																	4071,
																	738
																],
																[
																	4037,
																	874
																],
																[
																	4003,
																	994
																],
																[
																	3960,
																	1028
																],
																[
																	3865,
																	1077
																],
																[
																	3917,
																	1105
																],
																[
																	3886,
																	1142
																],
																[
																	3849,
																	1172
																],
																[
																	3751,
																	1203
																],
																[
																	3711,
																	1249
																],
																[
																	3631,
																	1249
																],
																[
																	3542,
																	1212
																],
																[
																	3542,
																	1169
																],
																[
																	3492,
																	1154
																],
																[
																	3449,
																	1172
																],
																[
																	3372,
																	1142
																],
																[
																	3348,
																	1092
																],
																[
																	3360,
																	1009
																],
																[
																	3369,
																	935
																],
																[
																	3412,
																	889
																],
																[
																	3412,
																	831
																],
																[
																	3462,
																	782
																],
																[
																	3554,
																	769
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2d2",
															"points": [
																[
																	3972,
																	1415
																],
																[
																	3978,
																	1363
																],
																[
																	4022,
																	1338
																],
																[
																	4052,
																	1283
																],
																[
																	4160,
																	1240
																],
																[
																	4237,
																	1268
																],
																[
																	4326,
																	1255
																],
																[
																	4394,
																	1280
																],
																[
																	4483,
																	1274
																],
																[
																	4569,
																	1317
																],
																[
																	4671,
																	1403
																],
																[
																	4729,
																	1483
																],
																[
																	4815,
																	1406
																],
																[
																	4883,
																	1449
																],
																[
																	5025,
																	1455
																],
																[
																	5151,
																	1458
																],
																[
																	5280,
																	1517
																],
																[
																	5354,
																	1529
																],
																[
																	5332,
																	2037
																],
																[
																	5317,
																	2157
																],
																[
																	5234,
																	2191
																],
																[
																	5182,
																	2225
																],
																[
																	5172,
																	2206
																],
																[
																	5095,
																	2191
																],
																[
																	5003,
																	2206
																],
																[
																	4951,
																	2231
																],
																[
																	4874,
																	2231
																],
																[
																	4840,
																	2212
																],
																[
																	4689,
																	2197
																],
																[
																	4588,
																	2206
																],
																[
																	4542,
																	2132
																],
																[
																	4508,
																	2191
																],
																[
																	4412,
																	2089
																],
																[
																	4329,
																	2000
																],
																[
																	4357,
																	1923
																],
																[
																	4311,
																	1917
																],
																[
																	4185,
																	1963
																],
																[
																	4089,
																	1982
																],
																[
																	3991,
																	1926
																],
																[
																	3978,
																	1871
																],
																[
																	3843,
																	1800
																],
																[
																	3726,
																	1806
																],
																[
																	3766,
																	1738
																],
																[
																	3803,
																	1702
																],
																[
																	3748,
																	1631
																],
																[
																	3757,
																	1545
																],
																[
																	3855,
																	1471
																],
																[
																	3886,
																	1415
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2db",
															"points": [
																[
																	3280,
																	2231
																],
																[
																	3292,
																	2182
																],
																[
																	3375,
																	2092
																],
																[
																	3323,
																	2000
																],
																[
																	3397,
																	1957
																],
																[
																	3511,
																	1945
																],
																[
																	3551,
																	2000
																],
																[
																	3658,
																	2009
																],
																[
																	3683,
																	2132
																],
																[
																	3631,
																	2188
																],
																[
																	3523,
																	2243
																],
																[
																	3455,
																	2209
																],
																[
																	3360,
																	2209
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2dd",
															"points": [
																[
																	2886,
																	2843
																],
																[
																	2920,
																	2794
																],
																[
																	2982,
																	2726
																],
																[
																	2991,
																	2625
																],
																[
																	3049,
																	2563
																],
																[
																	3105,
																	2502
																],
																[
																	3175,
																	2468
																],
																[
																	3218,
																	2514
																],
																[
																	3335,
																	2446
																],
																[
																	3483,
																	2440
																],
																[
																	3662,
																	2415
																],
																[
																	3763,
																	2446
																],
																[
																	3815,
																	2548
																],
																[
																	3994,
																	2646
																],
																[
																	4000,
																	2729
																],
																[
																	3978,
																	2794
																],
																[
																	3982,
																	2840
																],
																[
																	3908,
																	2892
																],
																[
																	3858,
																	2960
																],
																[
																	3815,
																	3074
																],
																[
																	3711,
																	3120
																],
																[
																	3597,
																	3163
																],
																[
																	3505,
																	3185
																],
																[
																	3422,
																	3154
																],
																[
																	3335,
																	3151
																],
																[
																	3277,
																	3089
																],
																[
																	3178,
																	3043
																],
																[
																	3132,
																	3015
																],
																[
																	3055,
																	3000
																],
																[
																	2997,
																	2923
																],
																[
																	2945,
																	2880
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2e0",
															"points": [
																[
																	2105,
																	3462
																],
																[
																	2111,
																	3363
																],
																[
																	2197,
																	3268
																],
																[
																	2249,
																	3160
																],
																[
																	2338,
																	3148
																],
																[
																	2409,
																	3089
																],
																[
																	2489,
																	3068
																],
																[
																	2569,
																	3071
																],
																[
																	2646,
																	3098
																],
																[
																	2714,
																	3178
																],
																[
																	2742,
																	3246
																],
																[
																	2754,
																	3369
																],
																[
																	2720,
																	3412
																],
																[
																	2751,
																	3452
																],
																[
																	2812,
																	3520
																],
																[
																	2791,
																	3689
																],
																[
																	2692,
																	3692
																],
																[
																	2591,
																	3732
																],
																[
																	2505,
																	3754
																],
																[
																	2446,
																	3815
																],
																[
																	2317,
																	3840
																],
																[
																	2215,
																	3760
																],
																[
																	2129,
																	3655
																],
																[
																	2089,
																	3588
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2de",
															"points": [
																[
																	3040,
																	3606
																],
																[
																	3003,
																	3523
																],
																[
																	3049,
																	3477
																],
																[
																	3037,
																	3418
																],
																[
																	2954,
																	3369
																],
																[
																	2905,
																	3382
																],
																[
																	2834,
																	3326
																],
																[
																	2818,
																	3145
																],
																[
																	2889,
																	3089
																],
																[
																	2954,
																	3025
																],
																[
																	3071,
																	3040
																],
																[
																	3120,
																	3108
																],
																[
																	3280,
																	3185
																],
																[
																	3357,
																	3274
																],
																[
																	3388,
																	3354
																],
																[
																	3391,
																	3480
																],
																[
																	3348,
																	3535
																],
																[
																	3271,
																	3557
																],
																[
																	3225,
																	3631
																],
																[
																	3111,
																	3637
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2e3",
															"points": [
																[
																	3600,
																	3375
																],
																[
																	3831,
																	3382
																],
																[
																	4009,
																	3305
																],
																[
																	4123,
																	3357
																],
																[
																	4129,
																	3437
																],
																[
																	4018,
																	3458
																],
																[
																	3991,
																	3505
																],
																[
																	3834,
																	3489
																],
																[
																	3732,
																	3458
																],
																[
																	3680,
																	3437
																],
																[
																	3603,
																	3437
																]
															]
														},
														{
															"area": "2e4",
															"points": [
																[
																	4378,
																	3440
																],
																[
																	4431,
																	3345
																],
																[
																	4502,
																	3243
																],
																[
																	4477,
																	3145
																],
																[
																	4538,
																	3080
																],
																[
																	4594,
																	3009
																],
																[
																	4597,
																	2905
																],
																[
																	4551,
																	2812
																],
																[
																	4575,
																	2677
																],
																[
																	4711,
																	2692
																],
																[
																	4788,
																	2705
																],
																[
																	4815,
																	2668
																],
																[
																	4923,
																	2698
																],
																[
																	4991,
																	2834
																],
																[
																	5080,
																	2880
																],
																[
																	5114,
																	2966
																],
																[
																	5252,
																	3046
																],
																[
																	5305,
																	3111
																],
																[
																	5394,
																	3055
																],
																[
																	5538,
																	3095
																],
																[
																	5538,
																	3957
																],
																[
																	4963,
																	3951
																],
																[
																	4846,
																	3954
																],
																[
																	4748,
																	3929
																],
																[
																	4603,
																	3938
																],
																[
																	4508,
																	3960
																],
																[
																	4480,
																	3914
																],
																[
																	4434,
																	3775
																],
																[
																	4468,
																	3711
																],
																[
																	4428,
																	3603
																],
																[
																	4360,
																	3542
																]
															]
														}
													],
													"hrefThumbnail": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/093-p7lnx-map-4-1.webp"
													}
												},
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/094-q5hof-map-4-1-player.webp"
													},
													"title": "Player Version",
													"width": 5607,
													"height": 4000,
													"imageType": "mapPlayer",
													"grid": {
														"type": "square",
														"size": 128,
														"offsetX": 56,
														"offsetY": -8,
														"distance": 10
													},
													"mapParent": {
														"id": "3d4",
														"autoScale": true
													}
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S8. Hag's Lair",
									"page": 137,
									"id": "2d8",
									"entries": [
										"The tunnel leading to this cave narrows to a height of 2 feet, requiring Medium characters to crawl through it. As the characters peer into this 20-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2d9",
											"entries": [
												"The floor of this dark cyst is strewn with bones and dotted with weeping sores. Shallow niches gouged into the scabby walls hold an assortment of stoppered flasks, polished black orbs, humanoid skulls, and other curios."
											]
										},
										"Yiggleblight the night hag used this chamber as a lair until she was rudely disposed of (see {@area area S3|2ca|x}).",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 137,
											"id": "2da",
											"entries": [
												"A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals six magic items in the niches, including a black sack made of stitched flesh, a lustrous black gem shaped like a human baby's fist, an {@item iron flask} containing a berserk {@creature fiendish flesh golem|BGDIA} that can't be controlled, and three {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}. The sack is Yiggleblight's {@i soul bag}, which is of no use to the characters. The black gem is the night hag's {@i heartstone}. (For more information on these two magic items, see the \"{@creature Night Hag}\" entry in the {@book Monster Manual|MM}.)",
												"Yiggleblight also kept a collection of poisons in six small, stoppered tubes made from human finger bones. Each flask holds a single dose of a different kind of poison: {@item Burnt Othur Fumes}, {@item Carrion Crawler Mucus}, {@item Essence of Ether}, {@item Malice}, {@item Oil of Taggit}, and {@item Torpor} (see \"{@book Poisons|DMG|8|Poisons}\" in chapter 8 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} for the effects of each). A character with a {@item poisoner's kit|PHB} can use it to take tiny samples of each poison for analysis. After spending 1 minute analyzing a poison, the character can identify it and its effects with a successful DC 15 Intelligence ({@skill Nature}) check. The character's proficiency bonus applies to the check if the character is proficient with the {@item poisoner's kit|PHB}.",
												"The only other valuable items are three 3-pound orbs of polished obsidian (100 gp each) that can be used as arcane focuses for spellcasting.",
												"Other curios include an empty casket sized for a human infant, a copper cowbell, a rope noose, a nothic's shriveled claw on the end of a black cord, a soot-stained wooden coffer containing three teeth from a red dragon wyrmling, a dead tomato plant in a ceramic pot adorned with images of dancing cherubs, and nine gnoll skulls."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S9. Digging Demons",
									"page": 137,
									"id": "2db",
									"entries": [
										"At this point, the scab transitions from being soft and spongy to hard as rock.",
										"When the characters enter this 20-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2dc",
											"entries": [
												"Ten small, snarling demons covered in matted gray fur claw and bite a hole into the hard, scabby floor. A demon made of shadow flies over the smaller fiends, screaming at them in Abyssal."
											]
										},
										"If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is with the characters, she senses the presence of {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} nearby (see area S10). She tells the characters about Yeenoghu's pet and speculates that the demons are trying to free {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}.",
										"Vatilan, a {@creature shadow demon}, directs seven {@creature Dretch||dretches} to dig their way toward area S10. The shadow demon found {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} while scouting the scab using its Incorporeal Movement trait. If the characters attack, the shadow demon leaves the dretches behind as it passes through the nearest wall and heads to {@area area S14|2e4|x} to warn Trantolox that intruders are near. Vatilan remains by the nalfeshnee's side until convinced that the intruders have been dealt with."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S10. Crokek'toeck's Prison",
									"page": 138,
									"id": "2dd",
									"entries": [
										"Yeenoghu's pet, {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}, is tightly packed into this cavity, {@condition incapacitated} and {@condition restrained}. If at least 20 feet of the scabby walls that encase {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} are destroyed, the monster is able to move its body again and breaks free of the scab.",
										"If {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} breaks out of the scab, it leaves a 30-foot-radius passage in its wake. The fiend is hungry and tries to consume any creature that crosses its path. It then leaves to find its master, Yeenoghu.",
										"If {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} is freed, Trantolox and the rest of the demons in {@area area S14|2e4|x} investigate. The nalfeshnee attempts to control {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}, but Yeenoghu's pet answers only to the Gnoll Lord. After Trantolox tries to control {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} for 3 rounds, the nalfeshnee and the other demons retreat back to {@area area S14|2e4|x}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S11. Statue of Yeenoghu",
									"page": 138,
									"id": "2de",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this 40-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2df",
											"entries": [
												"A nine-foot-tall statue of a hulking biped with clawed hands and feet stands on the floor of this chamber. Three vulture-like demons and six gnolls cackle as they dance around the statue."
											]
										},
										"Three {@creature Vrock||vrocks} and six {@creature Gnoll||gnolls} dance around the statue, reveling in their evil madness. The vrocks are quick to use their spores, even if it means infecting their gnoll allies. The demons and gnolls fight to the death.",
										"The statue is carved out of hardened scab. A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals that it radiates an aura of evocation magic. Any demon or gnoll with at least 1 hit point remaining that starts its turn within 30 feet of the statue regains 10 hit points.",
										"If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is with the characters, she recognizes that the statue is a crude likeness of Yeenoghu and encourages the characters to destroy it.",
										"The statue is a Large object with AC 17, 60 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. If the statue is destroyed, it explodes. Each creature within 30 feet of the exploding statue must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 ({@dice 4d10}) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S12. Trantolox's Chamber",
									"page": 138,
									"id": "2e0",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters enter this 30-foot-wide chamber, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2e1",
											"entries": [
												"A massive pile of bones and offal sits in the middle of this otherwise empty chamber."
											]
										},
										"Creatures who examine the bones and offal closely notice a stoppered bottle in the pile.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 138,
											"id": "2e2",
											"entries": [
												"The bottle is a {@item eversmoking bottle}."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S13. Cackling Gnolls",
									"page": 138,
									"id": "2e3",
									"entries": [
										"Characters hear the cackling of gnolls as they enter this corridor. They can surprise the gnolls by dousing their lights and succeeding on a DC 10 group Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) check.",
										"Targ Nar, a {@creature gnoll fang of Yeenoghu} with 100 hit points, is here with a gang of fifteen {@creature Gnoll||gnolls}. Targ Nar obeys Trantolox, who has ordered him to guard the corridor. To pass the time, the gnolls are tossing around the severed head of one of their fellow gnolls, whom Trantolox decapitated on a whim."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "S14. Entrance to the Bleeding Citadel",
									"page": 138,
									"id": "2e4",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters arrive at this 40-foot-wide area, read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "2e5",
											"entries": [
												"Brass double doors stand exposed in the wall of the scab. A relief image on the doors depicts a blindfolded angel wielding a sword, and carved into the door frame are beautiful, gold-inlaid runes. Three goat-headed demons with barbed tails throw themselves against the door as a corpulent, ape-like fiend with tusks and tiny wings kicks at them, roaring commands in Abyssal."
											]
										},
										"Trantolox, a {@creature nalfeshnee}, is commanding three {@creature Bulezau|MTF|bulezaus} to force open the double door that leads into the Bleeding Citadel. The nalfeshnee is desperate to get inside to claim the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} for Yeenoghu. Despite the bulezaus' best efforts, the doors refuse to budge (see \"Doors\" below).",
										"The nalfeshnee doesn't attack the characters right away if it thinks it can trick them into opening the doors for it. The nalfeshnee suggests an alliance and an \"equal split\" of whatever treasure is hidden inside the citadel. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is with the characters, she strongly advises them not to trust the demon. Trantolox has no intention of honoring the deal and claims to know nothing about the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. In battle, the nalfeshnee fights until reduced to 60 hit points, then tries to flee the scab and report back to Yeenoghu. The insane bulezaus fight to the death.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Doors",
											"page": 138,
											"id": "2e6",
											"entries": [
												"The doors, like the citadel itself, are indestructible. The runes around them say, in Celestial: \"Against evil, we stand united. Only the pure of heart can part these holy gates.\"",
												"A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals an aura of abjuration magic around the double door, which can be opened only by a creature of good alignment while {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is within 60 feet of the door. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} herself can open the doors, if need be. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is alive but not present when the characters try to enter the citadel, the doors remain locked. The characters receive a telepathic message from an unfamiliar female voice, saying, \"Bring {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} here, and I'll let you inside.\" Only when the characters return with {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} can the doors be opened. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} died earlier in the adventure, she's waiting for them inside the citadel, just beyond the doors.",
												"When the doors open, a bright white light pours out, filling area S14. Any fiend or undead that enters or starts its turn in the light must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 44 ({@dice 8d10}) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Fiends and undead can't pass through the doorway of the citadel even while the doors are open."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Character Advancement",
											"page": 139,
											"id": "2e7",
											"entries": [
												"Allow players to advance their characters from 11th to 12th level before they enter the Bleeding Citadel.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/095-zfnvo-04-02.webp"
													},
													"width": 1000,
													"height": 632
												}
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Entering the Citadel",
					"page": 139,
					"id": "2e8",
					"entries": [
						"The characters should be 12th level by the time they enter the Bleeding Citadel. The citadel has one purpose: to keep the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} out of evil hands.",
						"Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players when the characters enter the Bleeding Citadel:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "2e9",
							"entries": [
								"A bright white light burns away the blood and grit staining your clothes. Restorative energy brings life to numb muscles as the glow softens to reveal the interior of a sun-kissed cathedral. How light passes through the scab and into the stained glass windows is a mystery only magic can answer.",
								"Pillars line a path from the door to a raised dais carved with Celestial runes. Embedded in a stone atop the dais is a glowing longsword."
							]
						},
						"If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} died earlier in the adventure, add the following:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "2ea",
							"entries": [
								"Fluttering just inside the doorway is a golden hollyphant that greets you with a pleasing trumpet sound."
							]
						},
						"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} has all her hit points if she's restored to life by the citadel's magic. However, she has no memories between the time the characters last saw her and now.",
						"The holy power of the citadel restores the characters, and they gain the benefits of a long rest. If a creature gained a flaw from a blood pool or similar effect, the flaw is removed. Casting {@spell detect magic} in the Bleeding Citadel reveals that the whole structure radiates auras of abjuration and evocation magic.",
						"The interior of the citadel is one large alabaster chamber brightly lit by magically created sunlight shining through windows. The sword atop the dais is the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} (see {@adventure Appendix C|BGDIA|12}). The carvings on the dais read, in Celestial, \"The hero who becomes one with this blade exists no longer.\"",
						"The characters can't claim the sword until they complete the Idyllglen memory (see \"{@area Idyllglen|2ed|x}\" below).",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Yael's Ghost",
							"page": 140,
							"id": "2eb",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters move toward the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, the ghost of Yael appears before them and pulls the characters into one of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s forgotten memories to see if they are worthy of possessing the weapon. Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "2ec",
									"entries": [
										"The translucent image of a woman in her thirties wearing plate armor and bearing a thin scar on her cheek appears before you. As she points toward the hollyphant, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s eyes turn pure white. A whisper fills your ears and says, \"I remember!\" A wave of radiant energy erupts from {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s body and in that blinding flash the ghostly warrior, the hollyphant, and the Bleeding Citadel disappear.",
										"The solace of the cathedral is replaced by havoc, screams of panic, and acrid smoke. You stand at the edge of a small town of burning cottages, fields, and trees. A broken sign on the ground reveals the settlement's name: Idyllglen. Shrieking townsfolk run from cackling, snarling demons and gnolls."
									]
								},
								"The characters are transported into {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory of Idyllglen near the west edge of Idyll Road ({@area area I1|2f6|x} on {@adventure map 4.2|BGDIA|7|Map 4.2: Idyllglen})."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Idyllglen",
					"page": 140,
					"id": "2ed",
					"entries": [
						"Yael pulls the characters into {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory of Zariel's final battle against Yeenoghu in Faerûn. The characters experience a series of events in Idyllglen before returning to the Bleeding Citadel, where they can finally claim the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. While the characters are in Idyllglen, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is not with them, though she does make an appearance as a winged mammoth in \"{@area Event 7. Zariel's Arrival|310|x}\".",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Idyllglen History",
							"page": 140,
							"id": "2ee",
							"entries": [
								"Any character who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence ({@skill History} or {@skill Religion}) check recalls the following information about Idyllglen:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Ages ago, Idyllglen was threatened by gnoll tribes. As the gnolls raided the town, Solndor Brightstar, a cleric of Lathander, led the people in prayer to his god for aid. Lathander was moved by the people's bravery and sent the angel Zariel to defeat the gnolls. After driving off the gnolls, the people erected a statue of Zariel to honor her.",
										"Generations later, the gnolls returned to Idyllglen, this time with demons in their ranks and Yeenoghu himself leading the war band. Zariel and the Hellriders came to the Idyllglen's aid, but not before the town was mostly destroyed."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Idyllglen Features",
							"page": 140,
							"id": "2ef",
							"entries": [
								"The town of Idyllglen has the following general features.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Borders",
									"page": 140,
									"id": "2f0",
									"entries": [
										"The characters are confined to the part of Idyllglen shown on {@adventure map 4.2|BGDIA|7|Map 4.2: Idyllglen}. Beyond the edges of the map, everything is engulfed in a smoky haze. Characters who fly or levitate to an altitude of 120 feet or higher find themselves engulfed in a similar smoky haze.",
										"A creature that enters or starts its turn in the haze must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, taking 22 ({@dice 4d10}) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Burning Buildings",
									"page": 140,
									"id": "2f1",
									"entries": [
										"The unlabeled buildings on {@adventure map 4.2|BGDIA|7|Map 4.2: Idyllglen} are homes and businesses that the gnolls have set ablaze. The buildings' supplies were taken by fleeing townsfolk or ransacked by Yeenoghu's horde. Each building is one or two stories tall (DM's choice) and 10 feet high per story. The interior rooms of the buildings have 9-foot-high ceilings with 8-foot-high doorways connecting them. A character can climb the walls of a building without equipment by succeeding on a DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
										"A creature that starts its turn in or on a burning building must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 ({@dice 3d6}) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Burning Trees",
									"page": 140,
									"id": "2f2",
									"entries": [
										"Each tree depicted on {@adventure map 4.2|BGDIA|7|Map 4.2: Idyllglen} is {@dice 1d6 + 10} feet tall and on fire. No ability check is required to climb a tree. However, a creature that starts its turn in a burning tree must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 ({@dice 3d6}) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Townsfolk",
									"page": 140,
									"id": "2f3",
									"entries": [
										"Like Idyllglen itself, the townsfolk are figments created from {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory. Most residents of Idyllglen flee for their lives or hide in terror. If the characters try to get information out of these townsfolk, the most anyone can offer are a few quick words about demons and gnolls coming out of nowhere to ransack the town.",
										"The characters have opportunities to save Idyllglen's people from Yeenoghu's hordes and other dangers. Townsfolk saved from certain death give a quick show of gratitude before running toward the hazy borders of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory and disappearing."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Character Death",
									"page": 140,
									"id": "2f4",
									"entries": [
										"The Idyllglen memory is as real to the characters as any location, and they can die here."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Idyllglen Locations",
							"page": 140,
							"id": "2f5",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/096-dj9yv-map-4-2.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 4.2: Idyllglen",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 123,
												"offsetX": -8,
												"offsetY": -8,
												"distance": 10
											},
											"id": "3d5",
											"mapRegions": [
												{
													"area": "2f6",
													"points": [
														[
															378,
															1926
														],
														[
															378,
															2246
														],
														[
															997,
															2246
														],
														[
															997,
															1926
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "2f7",
													"points": [
														[
															3982,
															1612
														],
														[
															3982,
															2517
														],
														[
															4935,
															2517
														],
														[
															4935,
															1612
														]
													]
												},
												{
													"area": "2f8",
													"points": [
														[
															5117,
															1169
														],
														[
															5117,
															3286
														],
														[
															5714,
															3286
														],
														[
															5714,
															1169
														]
													]
												}
											],
											"hrefThumbnail": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/thumbnail/096-dj9yv-map-4-2.webp"
											}
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/097-ijryu-map-4-2-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 6105,
											"height": 4000,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "square",
												"size": 123,
												"offsetX": -7,
												"offsetY": -5,
												"distance": 10
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3d5"
											}
										}
									]
								},
								"The following locations are keyed to map 4.2.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "I1. Idyll Road",
									"page": 140,
									"id": "2f6",
									"entries": [
										"Idyll Road is the only paved street in Idyllglen. It leads from the west edge of the town to the statue of Zariel (area I2). The street is strewn with broken carts, debris, and corpses."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "I2. Statue of Zariel",
									"page": 141,
									"id": "2f7",
									"entries": [
										"This 30-foot-tall, white marble statue stands atop a 2-foot-high raised dais and depicts an armored, blindfolded angel in a calm, protective stance, with her sword drawn and wings unfurled. The dais is carved with the following words, in Common: \"Zariel, guardian of Idyllglen. Offer prayers to Lathander, and his light will shield thee.\"",
										"This statue of Zariel is a Gargantuan object with AC 17, 300 hit points, a damage threshold of 15, and immunity to poison, psychic, and radiant damage. A {@spell detect magic} spell reveals that the statue radiates an aura of abjuration magic.",
										"Any fiend that starts its turn within 15 feet of the statue causes it to flare with radiant energy. Each time the statue flares, every fiend within 30 feet of it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 ({@dice 4d8}) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.",
										"Any character who touches the statue and uses an action to offer a prayer to Lathander gains the benefit of a {@spell protection from evil and good} spell for 1 hour. A character can gain this benefit only once while in the memory."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "I3. Temple of Lathander",
									"page": 141,
									"id": "2f8",
									"entries": [
										"This two-story, white stone temple carved with images of the sun on its exterior walls is the largest building in the town. Iron shutters cover the building's windows, and its doors are made of oak. The temple's occupants and features are discussed more below.",
										"{@b Occupants}. Jhessa Brightstar, a neutral good female human {@creature priest} of Lathander, leads a congregation of fifty townsfolk ({@creature Commoner||commoners}) in prayer on the first floor. If forced into combat, the commoners take the {@action Dodge} action. The townsfolk are terrified of Yeenoghu's forces and grateful for any aid the characters provide.",
										"{@b Illumination}. Torches burning in sconces brightly light the temple's interior.",
										"{@b Barred Entrance}. An oak double door serves as the temple's entrance and is barred from the inside. A creature can use an action to try to force open the doors from the outside, doing so with a successful DC 22 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check. A character can also convince the congregation to open the doors by shouting through the doors and succeeding on a DC 15 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check.",
										"{@b Shuttered Windows}. All windows are covered with locked iron shutters. The iron shutters are latched from the inside and have AC 19, 25 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. A character with {@item thieves' tools|phb} can try to unlock a window's shutters, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Roleplaying Jhessa Brightstar",
											"page": 141,
											"id": "2f9",
											"entries": [
												"Jhessa is a pious priest of Lathander and a descendant of Solndor Brightstar (see \"{@area Idyllglen History|2ee|x}\"). The soft-spoken woman in her forties leads her flock in a prayer to Lathander, begging the Morning Lord to send Zariel to protect the people of Idyllglen once more.",
												"Jhessa is steadfast in her faith that Lathander hears the prayer and believes it's just a matter of time before Zariel appears. If she meets the characters, Jhessa uses her spells to heal and bolster them, hoping they can protect her congregation long enough for Zariel to arrive. If the forces of Yeenoghu enter the temple, Jhessa puts herself between any threat and the commoners within, giving her life if necessary."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Idyllglen Events",
							"page": 142,
							"id": "2fa",
							"entries": [
								"The following events occur in sequence as soon as the characters arrive in Idyllglen.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 1. Characters' Arrival",
									"page": 142,
									"id": "2fb",
									"entries": [
										"When the characters arrive in Idyllglen (at {@area area I1|2f6|x}), the following encounters occur simultaneously:",
										{
											"type": "list",
											"items": [
												"Six {@creature Gnoll||gnolls} surround and attack the characters.",
												"Six {@creature Dretch||dretches} on Idyll Road ({@area area I1|2f6|x}) claw at an overturned cart covering Ella Deepwell, a neutral female human {@creature commoner}.",
												"A {@creature giant hyena} attacks a {@creature mastiff} near the statue of Zariel ({@area area I2|2f7|x}).",
												"A {@creature hezrou} pounds on the door to the temple of Lathander ({@area area I3|2f8|x}), trying to force its way inside."
											]
										},
										"Have the players roll initiative for their characters, then roll initiative for the gnolls, dretches, giant hyena, mastiff, and hezrou. All the gnolls act on the same initiative count, and all the dretches act together as well. Ella doesn't participate in the combat.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Gnolls",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "2fc",
											"entries": [
												"The gnolls fight to the death, cackling maniacally all the while."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Cart and Dretches",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "2fd",
											"entries": [
												"The cart is a Large object with AC 15, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. A creature can use an action to attempt to lift the cart, doing so with a successful DC 15 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check.",
												"If the dretches destroy the cart, they attack Ella Deepwell. If she dies, the dretches attack the characters.",
												"If the characters attack the dretches, the dretches turn to fight them, ignoring the cart. Once the dretches are destroyed, Ella emerges from the cart, thanks the characters, and flees to safety."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Giant Hyena and Mastiff",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "2fe",
											"entries": [
												"If the characters don't intervene, the giant hyena turns its attention to the characters after killing the mastiff. If the characters attack the giant hyena, it ignores the mastiff and turns to face the bigger threat, fighting to the death.",
												"The mastiff stays with the characters if they rescue it, using the {@action Help} action to distract enemies in combat. A character who makes a successful DC 12 Wisdom ({@skill Animal Handling}) check can convince the mastiff to stay out of the fight and find shelter."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Hezrou",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "2ff",
											"entries": [
												"On its turn, the demon tries to force open the temple doors, doing so with a successful DC 20 Strength ({@skill Athletics}) check. If the hezrou forces open the doors to the temple, it begins attacking the people inside on its next turn. If the characters attack the hezrou or it kills all the creatures in the temple, it turns its attention toward the characters."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Next Event",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "300",
											"entries": [
												"When only one of the characters' enemies remains, proceed with event 2."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 2. Yeenoghu's Champion",
									"page": 142,
									"id": "301",
									"entries": [
										"This event overlaps with the end of the previous event. When it begins, read the following to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "302",
											"entries": [
												"A chorus of screams rises up as people, sheep, and pigs scamper through the town, chased by a demon with the lower body of a great serpent and the upper body of a six-armed gnoll clutching a wicked sword in each of its clawed hands."
											]
										},
										"The terrified animals and townsfolk dart through Idyllglen, chased by Garoknul, a unique demon in the service of Yeenoghu. Use the {@creature marilith} stat block to represent Garoknul. The fleeing beasts and townsfolk disappear when they reach the edge of the map. Garoknul stops its chase to battle the characters. If reduced to 50 hit points or fewer, Garoknul uses its next action to teleport away.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Next Event",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "303",
											"entries": [
												"When Garoknul leaves the area or dies, proceed with event 3."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 3. Madness Reigns",
									"page": 142,
									"id": "304",
									"entries": [
										"This event begins as the previous one ends. Read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "305",
											"entries": [
												"Five guards wielding spears advance from the north. Splattered head-to-toe with black ichor, they gaze at you with hungry eyes."
											]
										},
										"The five human {@creature Guard||guards} are named Caladra Telmaster, Esselyn Xharn, Jai Wen, Tal Hannefar, and Yaerklos Summerlast. Their armor is covered in the ichor of Yeenoghu's demons. The ichor has driven the guards mad, making them hunger for humanoid flesh. When they notice the characters, the guards attack.",
										"If a character kills a guard, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s mind attempts to punish the character. That character must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or gain 1 level of {@condition exhaustion} as {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s mind saps the character's energy.",
										"A guard's madness can be cured with a {@spell dispel evil and good}, {@spell greater restoration}, or {@spell remove curse} spell. Guards who are cured of their madness thank the characters and explain that they were battling demons in the fields when they suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to consume humanoid flesh. These guards are eager to return to the battle in the fields, disappearing as they pass through the hazy border.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Next Event",
											"page": 142,
											"id": "306",
											"entries": [
												"After the characters deal with the guards, proceed with event 4."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 4. Unsettling Calm",
									"page": 142,
									"id": "307",
									"entries": [
										"This event begins with Yael telepathically contacting the characters:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "308",
											"entries": [
												"A woman's voice enters your mind. \"Nice work. Take a break. You've got an hour before the really bad stuff happens.\""
											]
										},
										"The characters can spend the next hour interacting with {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory of Idyllglen. They can explore the town, extinguish fires, speak to Jhessa Brightstar in the temple of Lathander ({@area area I3|2f8|x}), or take a short rest. During this time, the fields continue to burn, and the occasional scream is heard in the distance beyond the hazy border.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Next Event",
											"page": 143,
											"id": "309",
											"entries": [
												"As this event approaches its end, the characters hear cackling laughter far off in the distance. This laughter gets closer and louder, heralding the arrival of more of Yeenoghu's troops. Proceed with event 5.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/098-heq4h-04-03.webp"
													},
													"width": 1000,
													"height": 665
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 5. Renewed Assault",
									"page": 143,
									"id": "30a",
									"entries": [
										"This event begins as the previous one ends. Read or paraphrase the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "30b",
											"entries": [
												"Six demons appear on the western edge of Idyllglen\u2014a hulking, ape-like brute and five small, doglike creatures with rubbery gray bodies and big ears. Cackles in the distance signal more enemies on the way."
											]
										},
										"A {@creature barlgura} and five {@creature Dretch||dretches} appear on the western edge of {@adventure map 4.2|BGDIA|7|Map 4.2: Idyllglen}. If these demons notice the characters, they attack. If they don't notice the characters, they attack the temple ({@area area I3|2f8|x}), hoping to kill everyone within. At the start of the second round of combat, a {@creature gnoll pack lord} and six {@creature Gnoll||gnolls} join the fray from the south. At the start of the third round of combat, a {@creature vrock} swoops down from the sky to join the battle.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Next Event",
											"page": 143,
											"id": "30c",
											"entries": [
												"When only three enemies remain or after six rounds of combat, whichever comes first, proceed with event 6."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 6. Yeenoghu",
									"page": 143,
									"id": "30d",
									"entries": [
										"This event overlaps with the end of the previous one. Read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "30e",
											"entries": [
												"A wild, hideous laugh pierces the air and cuts through the din of battle. A giant gnoll covered in matted, bloodstained fur and swinging a three-headed flail charges out of the haze from the west. Gore drips from his red maw, open in a violent laugh."
											]
										},
										"{@creature Yeenoghu|MTF} attacks any creature not allied with him that he notices. If Yeenoghu doesn't notice any enemies, he attacks the statue of Zariel ({@area area I2|2f7|x}) before moving on to the temple ({@area area I3|2f8|x}).",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Next Event",
											"page": 143,
											"id": "30f",
											"entries": [
												"Event 7 begins after three rounds of combat with the demon lord or when Yeenoghu is reduced to 100 hit points or fewer.",
												{
													"type": "image",
													"href": {
														"type": "internal",
														"path": "adventure/BGDIA/099-ivhcv-04-04.webp"
													},
													"title": "Left to right: Charge of Zariel and the Hellriders, the war on Avernus, and Zariel's surrender to Asmodeus",
													"width": 1000,
													"height": 647
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Event 7. Zariel's Arrival",
									"page": 144,
									"id": "310",
									"entries": [
										"This event overlaps with the end of the previous one. Read the following boxed text to the players:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "311",
											"entries": [
												"The cackling demon lord shuts his maw and narrows his eyes, gazing up toward the sky as a beam of radiant light pierces the haze. A powerful angel streaks down from above, followed by a gold-furred mammoth with feathered wings. The angel slashes her sword across Yeenoghu's chest and utters a spell. A portal opens behind the demon lord as the mammoth rams its head into Yeenoghu. The demon lord is sent tumbling through the portal, which quickly closes behind him."
											]
										},
										"The angel is Zariel (use the {@creature solar} stat block), and the winged mammoth is {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} the {@creature hollyphant|BGDIA} in shapechanged form. After ridding Idyllglen of Yeenoghu, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and Zariel introduce themselves to the characters, healing them as best they can. While these introductions happen, the original Hellriders ({@creature Knight||knights}) appear on {@creature Warhorse||warhorses} and kill any remaining demons and gnolls. One of these Hellriders, a woman in her thirties with a fresh, deep cut on her cheek, thanks the characters and introduces herself as Yael. She gives a wink before lining up to join the rest of the battalion. The characters might also recognize Olanthius, Haruman, and other original Hellriders they have come across during their travels in Avernus.",
										"Zariel can cast the {@spell resurrection} spell up to three times. She uses this magic to resurrect as many dead characters as she can.",
										"As Zariel prepares to lead her forces through the portal into Avernus, all other creatures except for her, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}, and the characters stop moving and responding as if frozen in time. Zariel turns to the characters and says, \"Yeenoghu slaughtered those I swore to protect. I can stop him and others like him. I might have to give up all I stand for, but I could stem the tide of chaos and save many lives from the demonic terrors of the Abyss. Were you in my place, would you risk it all to save others?\"",
										"Zariel lets each character answer her question in turn. She thanks them for their responses, then utters a blessing to Lathander over the characters. Characters who answered that they would risk it all as Zariel did each gain a {@reward charm of vitality}. Characters who answered that they would not risk it all to stop the demon lords each gain a {@reward charm of restoration}. (See \"{@book Charms|DMG|7|Charms}\" in chapter 7 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} for the benefits of these supernatural gifts.) Characters who can't or won't answer the question receive nothing.",
										"Once Zariel bestows her supernatural charms, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s Idyllglen memory ends. A flash of light brings all the characters (including dead ones) back to the Bleeding Citadel so that one of them might finally claim the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/100-rkst9-04-05.webp"
											},
											"title": "Left to right: Haruman emerging from the Styx, Olanthius transformed into a death knight, and both by Zariel's side",
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 647
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Claiming the Sword",
					"page": 145,
					"id": "312",
					"entries": [
						"When the characters return to the Bleeding Citadel from {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory of Idyllglen, read the following boxed text to the players:",
						{
							"type": "insetReadaloud",
							"id": "313",
							"entries": [
								"You stand before the dais, atop which glows the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. Also before you are {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} and the ghostly warrior, Yael. The hollyphant is the first to speak. \"I remember everything now. Idyllglen was the last straw. We followed Zariel to Avernus, but the evil there proved to be too much for us. Asmodeus appeared and promised Zariel infernal legions to end the Blood War, but she had to give the Lord of the Nine Hells her fealty. She accepted and became an archdevil, but not before Yael and I took her sword, hoping it could redeem Zariel someday. I gave up my magic and memories, and Yael gave her life to construct this place to protect the sword.\"",
								"Yael's ghost says, \"You have faced many trials to claim the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. I'm sorry to say, you face one more. As the inscription on the dais says, 'The hero who becomes one with this blade exists no longer.' Which of you is brave enough to draw the blade and be gone forever?\""
							]
						},
						"Any character who survived {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memory of Idyllglen can pull the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} from the dais. Characters who died in Idyllglen are not able to remove the sword from the stone.",
						"Once the sword is removed from its stone, a character can attune to it immediately if the sword deems that character worthy, and attuning to the sword changes the character irrevocably (see the item's description in {@adventure Appendix C|BGDIA|12}). When a character attunes to the sword, the citadel and the scab around it explode outward in blinding rays of light. Creatures in the scab take 110 ({@dice 20d10}) radiant damage and are hurled 1,000 feet away from the sword. Any demons that survive the explosion limp off to lick their wounds. Creatures inside the Bleeding Citadel are unharmed by the explosion and find themselves suddenly under Avernus's red sky.",
						"Once a character claims the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, Yael's work is done. Her ghost bids the party good luck and fades away as her soul passes into the afterlife.",
						"The destruction of the Bleeding Citadel restores all of {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s memories, which she can share with the characters. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} continues to travel with the characters and encourages them to use the sword to redeem Zariel.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Character Advancement",
							"page": 145,
							"id": "314",
							"entries": [
								"The characters should be at least 13th level before heading into {@adventure chapter 5|BGDIA|8} of the adventure."
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Chapter 5: Escape from Avernus",
			"page": 146,
			"id": "315",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/101-efblf-05-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1000,
					"height": 642
				},
				"All adventures must end, but the best ones end with a bang. The climax of {@i Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus} comes when the characters try to redeem Zariel, save Elturel, or both. This chapter sets out some of the most likely ways for these events to happen. As with all Dungeons  & Dragons adventures, a host of other outcomes are possible, so feel free to let the story evolve beyond the suggested endings outlined in this chapter.",
				"If the characters don't want to save Elturel, they don't need to. However, if they intend to save Elturel, the players should be aware that this is a twofold task:",
				{
					"type": "list",
					"items": [
						"Elturel must be freed from the chains that bind it to Avernus.",
						"Elturel must be returned to the Material Plane."
					]
				},
				"Though some of the actions the characters can take will accomplish both these tasks at once, others will solve only half the problem.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Who Should Rule Avernus?",
					"page": 146,
					"id": "316",
					"entries": [
						"The characters could give Zariel more power to rule Avernus, or they could support one of the archdevil's enemies in a bid to unseat her. They could also try to destroy Zariel, creating a power vacuum that throws Avernus into disarray. Whatever the outcome, the characters are poised to help write cosmic history.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Redeeming Zariel",
							"page": 146,
							"id": "317",
							"entries": [
								"In this outcome, the adventurers entreat the archdevil to redeem her angelic soul and take up her celestial mantle once more. Even though Zariel has fallen, there remains a faint glimmer of hope for her salvation. A fragment of the devil's former self still lingers within her sword, but inspiring Zariel to reverse the course of her destiny is not as easy as simply handing her the blade.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Presenting the Sword",
									"page": 146,
									"id": "318",
									"entries": [
										"To redeem Zariel, the characters must possess the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. Bringing the sword within 10 feet of Zariel causes the weapon to glow brighter, then levitate to hover before her. Confronted with the last fragment of her angelic spark, Zariel faces an internal struggle. In this moment, the characters have a chance to help the archdevil return to the light.",
										"One of the characters must present Zariel with the argument to rejoin the celestial host, then make a DC 25 Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check. If the check is successful, Zariel is convinced to grasp the sword and accept its angelic spark back into her soul. The DC of this check is reduced by 5 for each of the following NPCs that are present when the characters try to redeem Zariel:",
										"{@b Lulu}. If {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is with the characters, the hollyphant regains all of her spellcasting abilities and weeps for what Zariel has become. Zariel feels sorrow as she remembers {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}'s friendship. If Zariel is redeemed, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} once again serves as Zariel's friend and mount.",
										"{@b Olanthius}. If the characters made an ally of Olanthius, the death knight kneels before Zariel. Seeing him fills Zariel with shame for leaving her loyal friend to a horrific fate. If Zariel is redeemed, she turns the death knight to dust, letting his soul rest at last.",
										"If the Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check succeeds, continue with \"Zariel's Redemption\" below. If the check fails, proceed with \"{@area Zariel's Wrath|31d|x}\" instead."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Zariel's Redemption",
									"page": 147,
									"id": "319",
									"entries": [
										"If Zariel is convinced to accept the angelic spark, she grasps the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}. Read or paraphrase the following boxed text out loud when this happens:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "31a",
											"entries": [
												"Zariel's trembling hand reaches toward the gleaming hilt of her sword. Her fingers brush against it, and she grimaces as radiant light sears her flesh. As her grip tightens, she gasps in pain, then speaks an oath through tears of confusion, sorrow, and dawning joy.",
												"\"I, Zariel, supplicate myself before the holy light of justice. If it should accept me, I vow to take up this blade once more in its service.\"",
												"The archdevil's words hang in the air for a silent moment, and she glances upward in agonized uncertainty. Then Zariel is bathed in a brilliant wash of radiant light. Her fiery halo disappears, and feathers burst from her leathery wings. All of her diabolical features vanish as her angelic form is restored. At the sight of this blessed transformation, {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} gasps in delight\u2014and transforms into a celestial mammoth with golden fur, feathered wings, and gleaming tusks."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/102-zmysb-05-02.webp"
											},
											"width": 489,
											"height": 1000
										},
										"All mortal creatures that witness Zariel's apotheosis are surrounded by twinkling wisps of the same light that transformed her, and are infused with a {@reward blessing of health} (see \"{@book Other Rewards|DMG|7}\" in chapter 7 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}).",
										"Returned to her full celestial glory, Zariel takes on the task of saving the besieged city of Elturel. If Zariel must travel some distance to reach Elturel, make sure the characters have the ability to keep up with the angel, or have her bring them along by magical means.",
										"Zariel first soars above Elturel to within reach of the corrupted Companion. She closes her eyes, raises her sword above her head, takes a deep, centering breath, and brings the blade down. The Companion then explodes in a flash of light and sound, as described in \"{@area Shattering the Companion|33e|x}\" later in this chapter.",
										"With the destruction of the Companion, the people of Elturel are freed from infernal bondage. The planetar imprisoned within the Companion raises the city out of the Nine Hells and returns it to Faerûn (see \"{@area The Planetar's Power|33f|x}\"). Zariel accompanies the city until she is satisfied that Elturel is safe.",
										"The characters can return to the Material Plane with Elturel if they so choose, or they might wish to stick around Avernus to see who rises to become its new ruler (see \"{@area Ruling Avernus|326|x}\").",
										"If the characters return with Elturel to the Material Plane, read or paraphrase the following:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "31b",
											"entries": [
												"The Chionthar River shines like a golden road stretching from Elturel to Baldur's Gate, and to the sea beyond. The scent of morning dew cuts through the odor of smoke, brimstone, and rot that clings to Elturel's stones.",
												"Slowly, the people of the city make their way out from their hiding places to stand in the light of the mortal world once more. All eyes focus on Zariel where she stands, sword in hand. The planetar that raised Elturel out of Avernus kneels before her. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} nudges Zariel, then gestures toward you with her trunk. Zariel strides toward you, bowing her head in solemn gratitude. \"This dark chapter has at last come to an end, and it is a brighter end than I ever dared to hope for. Thank you. Your selflessness will live on in my memory forever.\"",
												"\"And in mine!\" {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} says, beaming.",
												"Zariel's tone turns more somber as she says, \"You have made an enemy of Asmodeus this day. We have that in common now. I wish you strength and good fortune\u2014and if ever you have need of my power, hold this feather aloft and invoke my name. I shall come to your aid.\""
											]
										},
										"Zariel pulls a single golden feather from one of her wings and hands it to the character closest to her. A creature that holds this feather can cast {@spell planar ally} as an action, calling Zariel and {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} only, after which the feather dissolves into a ray of sunlight. If the two are called to aid the characters, they do so for up to 1 hour, with no payment asked for in return.",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "31c",
											"entries": [
												"With her gift given, Zariel inclines her head, unfurls her wings, and soars into the sky. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} turns to wrap you all up in a massive hug with her trunk. When she lets you go, she smiles warmly and says, \"We'll see each other again. Someday.\"",
												"The golden mammoth then flaps her wings and soars into the sky. You watch her silhouette dwindle until it is swallowed by sunlight."
											]
										},
										"Characters who return with Elturel can find plenty to do in the city, aiding survivors and helping restore order in the aftermath of so much death and destruction. In addition to the leadership and magic the characters can lend to the people of Elturel, the planetar once bound within the Companion remains in the city for as long as it is needed, using its ability to raise the dead to restore as many of those lost to the destruction as it can.",
										"In the longer term, the characters might also have loose ends in Baldur's Gate to take care of, especially if any villains in {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1} were left alive to continue their dark plots.",
										"Even if the tale of the two cities has been successfully completed to the characters' satisfaction, the events of the adventure continue to play out in Baldur's Gate and Elturel after the fact. In particular, if Grand Duke Ravengard survives and returns with Elturel, the survivors of the city will be greatly in his debt. Ravengard's efforts to defend the city should dramatically change the political landscape of Baldur's Gate and Elturel, ushering in an era of detente, if not full friendship and alliance, between the two cities."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Zariel's Wrath",
							"page": 148,
							"id": "31d",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters fail to redeem Zariel and don't make a deal with her (see \"{@area Making a Deal with Zariel|339|x}\"), she attacks. Her first goal is to destroy the adventurers who dared insult her, after which she means to erase from existence all those whom she once loved.",
								"At this grim juncture, the characters' only hope is to defeat Zariel or to bend the knee in fealty. Killing Zariel frees the citizens of Elturel from infernal bondage. The characters might choose this endgame intentionally, or they could be forced to fight Zariel if they fail to redeem her.",
								"Defeating Zariel is easier said than done. At her full power, the archdevil is more than a match for most mortals. Adventurers who hope to lay her low must scheme like a devil. Forging an alliance with a powerful, supernatural being such as {@creature Bel|BGDIA}, Gargauth, Tiamat, or one of the demon lords besieging Avernus could grant the characters the power necessary to cast down Zariel.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Baphomet, Kostchtchie, or Yeenoghu",
									"page": 148,
									"id": "31e",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Baphomet|MTF} and {@creature Yeenoghu|MTF} are fighting to claim Avernus for themselves, and {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} (assuming the characters released him in {@area chapter 3|22a|x}) wants his hammer back. None of them can be trusted. Demon lords are savagery incarnate, and they take orders from no one.",
										"The extent to which Baphomet, {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA}, and Yeenoghu are present in Avernus makes it easy for characters to commune with any of these demon lords using {@spell contact other plane} spells or similar magic."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bel",
									"page": 148,
									"id": "31f",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Bel|BGDIA} rankles at Zariel's rulership of the layer of the Nine Hells that was once his, but he won't challenge her directly as long as he thinks Asmodeus supports Zariel.",
										"{@creature Bel|BGDIA}'s aim is to let the characters try to redeem Zariel by helping them retrieve her sword. {@creature Bel|BGDIA} knows Zariel's redemption is a long shot, which is why he also gives characters a means to unlock the Companion. Freeing the planetar trapped within the Companion denies Zariel her latest prize\u2014the city of Elturel\u2014and makes her look inept, which is the best {@creature Bel|BGDIA} can hope for."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Gargauth",
									"page": 148,
									"id": "320",
									"entries": [
										"The {@creature pit fiend} Gargauth would like nothing more than to be released from its prison and replace Zariel as Lord of Avernus. If the characters possess the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}, they can free Gargauth as described in the item's description (see {@adventure Appendix C|BGDIA|12}).",
										"If released, Gargauth thanks the characters through tears of mirth. The pit fiend's first act is to produce a contract out of thin air, claiming that it will aid the characters in their quest to destroy Zariel if they sign it. The contract is full of convoluted text, and is summarized in its final clause: \"I, the undersigned, agree to form a compact with Gargauth, joining with it to destroy the archdevil Zariel. While bound by this compact, no intentional harm shall befall either party by the other party's hand, without voiding this agreement.\"",
										"Gargauth takes joy in subverting ill-worded contracts and betraying those bound by them. Notably, the contract presented lasts only until Zariel is destroyed, after which point Gargauth intends to tear the adventurers limb from limb. Clever adventurers can subvert the pit fiend's betrayal by ensuring Zariel's capture, banishment, or some other nonlethal defeat.",
										"In that event, though, Gargauth has left itself an easy out. The only consequence for harming an ally under the terms of the contract is the contract's immediate negation\u2014leaving Gargauth free to do whatever it sees fit. The pit fiend hopes that it can sneak this ruse through unchallenged, and argues fiercely if the characters spot this tricky phrase and demand its removal from the contract."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Tiamat",
									"page": 148,
									"id": "321",
									"entries": [
										"The queen of evil dragons is mighty and aloof, and she rarely acts unless her triumph is assured. Challenging an archdevil directly is risky, and {@creature Tiamat|RoT} stands to lose a great deal if Zariel prevails. Fortunately, Tiamat has a champion she can send in her stead: {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA}.",
										"The adventurers can't communicate with Tiamat directly, but they can approach Arkhan at his tower (see \"{@area Arkhan's Tower|247|x}\"). Arkhan is preoccupied with trying to find a way to free Tiamat from the Nine Hells while also staving off the physical deterioration caused by the {@item Hand of Vecna}. He won't entertain thoughts of vanquishing Zariel unless there's something in it for him and his dark queen.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/103-83py4-05-03.webp"
											},
											"title": "White Abishai",
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 900
										},
										"While the head of Zariel would be a grand trophy, a trophy isn't enough to sway Arkhan. The characters must convince him that he can rule Avernus in Zariel's stead, with Tiamat by his side and armies of abishai and infernal dragons at his back. After contemplating this notion, Arkhan raises the {@item Hand of Vecna} and boasts, \"With this hand, I shall tear Zariel's head from her shoulders and rule Avernus with my queen at my side.\"",
										"Arkhan declares that he will muster an army and depose Zariel in ten days. Exactly ten days later, two hundred {@creature white abishai|MTF} fly from Arkhan's tower toward Zariel's current location, with Arkhan leading the charge on the back of Asojano the {@creature chimera}, and {@creature Torogar Steelfist|BGDIA} by his side, carried on the back of Chango the {@creature manticore}. Arkhan's army is bolstered by five chromatic dragons\u2014one adult dragon of each color\u2014sent by Tiamat to help ensure victory. If they so choose, the characters can join Arkhan. The abishai and the dragons engage Zariel's legions while Arkhan, Torogar, and the characters challenge the archdevil herself. This battle can play out as part of the \"{@area Endgame in Elturel|340|x}\" section described at the end of this chapter."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Serving Zariel",
							"page": 149,
							"id": "322",
							"entries": [
								"The characters might decide after meeting Zariel that they wish to serve her, joining her army and smiting demons in the Blood War. They also might wind up serving her if they fail to redeem her and wish to live.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Souls are Forfeit",
									"page": 149,
									"id": "323",
									"entries": [
										"Characters who choose to serve Zariel must sign a contract (see {@adventure appendix A|BGDIA|10}) forfeiting their souls to the archdevil. She then returns such characters to the Material Plane to do her bidding. Zariel has numerous schemes spinning at any given time, but the adventurers are particularly well suited to preparing Baldur's Gate to meet the same fate as Elturel. As a sign of favor, she bestows a charm upon each character (see \"{@area Archdevil Charms|414|x}\").",
										"Characters who die in Zariel's service are reborn as {@creature Lemure||lemures} from the River Styx. They lose all memories of their previous lives, and their alignment changes to lawful evil. If a character pleased Zariel with their loyalty in life, she might allow them to keep their memories as she promotes them to an NPC devil of your determination."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Zariel's Sword is Destroyed",
									"page": 149,
									"id": "324",
									"entries": [
										"With no one to sway Zariel from her path to absolute damnation, Zariel demands that the characters give her the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} if they possess it. After she claims the sword, Zariel holds it aloft and shatters it (see \"{@area Relinquishing the Sword|337|x}\")."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Lulu Falls",
									"page": 149,
									"id": "325",
									"entries": [
										"For Zariel to fall beyond redemption is the worst outcome for {@creature Lulu|BGDIA}. This unimaginable tragedy shatters the hollyphant's mind, leaving {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} insane. Roll or choose the specific effects of her madness from the {@table long-term madness||Long-Term Madness table} in {@book chapter 8|DMG|8} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}, but this madness can be overcome only by a {@spell greater restoration} spell or similar magic."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ruling Avernus",
							"page": 149,
							"id": "326",
							"entries": [
								"If Zariel is redeemed or killed, the first layer of the Nine Hells falls into chaos. You can decide which of the many powerful figures in Avernus make a play to replace Zariel, but any new ruler immediately faces enemies on all sides. The invading armies of Baphomet and Yeenoghu are wreaking havoc and threatening to tear Avernus apart. Moreover, dozens of ambitious greater devils will gleefully try to supplant their new and untested ruler.",
								"Ruling a layer of the Nine Hells as a mortal is effectively impossible. None of the devils of Avernus will knowingly serve anyone but a superior devil. However, Asmodeus admires ambition. The Lord of the Nine Hells might see a brash and powerful mortal as a worthy replacement for Zariel, offering to transform the character into an NPC archdevil that can rule Avernus. Alternatively, the characters might attempt to claim Avernus on their own terms.",
								"Idealistic characters seeking to destroy the Nine Hells from the inside out might see this power vacuum as an opportunity to strike a mortal blow to Asmodeus's reign. This might be the only time in cosmic history that such a blindly idealistic cause could succeed. But even if the party can wrest Avernus from Asmodeus's control, this ultimately serves to unite the remaining archdevils, aligning them toward the common goal of reclaiming Avernus\u2014which works to Asmodeus's advantage."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Will Elturel Be Saved?",
					"page": 150,
					"id": "327",
					"entries": [
						"Unless the characters intervene, Elturel is inevitably dragged into the River Styx. The memories of its inhabitants will be wiped clean, and their souls will be made into devils\u2014fodder for the front lines of the Blood War.",
						"The characters have several ways to save the city at its most desperate hour (see \"{@area Endgame in Elturel|340|x}\"). To save Elturel without redeeming Zariel, the chains binding the city to the infernal iron posts sinking into Avernus must be severed, and the city must be returned to the Material Plane.",
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Forging the Blade of Avernus",
							"page": 150,
							"id": "328",
							"entries": [
								"At some point after the destruction of the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, Zariel gives her servants (including the characters if they have taken on that role) the task of forging a new blade for her. This endeavor comes with the following objectives:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"If {@creature Bel|BGDIA} is still in Zariel's service, she calls on him to forge the blade. Otherwise, her servants must scour the cosmos for a worthy weaponsmith, such as an efreeti from the City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire.",
										"Zariel needs at least ten pounds of metal or material to make the blade of the sword. Adamantine would do, or a talon from Tiamat.",
										"To grant the blade its power, the freshly forged weapon must be quenched in the blood of a celestial, a demon lord, and an archdevil. Zariel can supply her own blood, but her servants must collect the other two sacrifices."
									]
								},
								"Zariel names this new artifact the {@item Blade of Avernus|BGDIA}."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Breaking the Chains",
							"page": 150,
							"id": "32e",
							"entries": [
								"Eight chains of infernal iron anchor Elturel to its binding posts, and each of those chains must be broken to free the city. If all the chains are broken, Elturel remains floating above Avernus and is no longer drawn toward the River Styx. However, the characters must still find a way to return the city to the Material Plane.",
								"Each chain link is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, and is formed of a welded loop of infernal iron that is 5 feet thick. A chain link is a Huge object with AC 19, 250 hit points, a damage threshold of 30, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. See {@adventure chapter 2|BGDIA|2} for information on moving along the chains and climbing the infernal iron posts they connect to.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ire of Tiamat",
									"page": 150,
									"id": "32f",
									"entries": [
										"Tiamat's divine power is mighty enough to break the chains that bind Elturel. {@creature Arkhan the Cruel|BGDIA} is willing to commune with his goddess to this end, but only if the characters offer him a suitably potent gift. In an inscrutable twist, Tiamat decides to aid the characters, and tells Arkhan as such. Read or paraphrase the following:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "330",
											"entries": [
												"A shroud of confusion passes over Arkhan's face, dissolving his bravado. He mutters to Tiamat under his breath, \"Is that wise, my queen?\" Then his eyes darken as his body hangs limp like a puppet cut from its strings. After a moment, Arkhan stands up straight, his eyes glowing with prismatic light. A hungry smile crosses his face, and five voices echo from his mouth, each resonating with the ire of an imprisoned goddess.",
												"\"I will aid you,\" Tiamat growls. \"If your power is enough to threaten Zariel's ambitions, then I have nothing to fear. I can destroy the chains binding Elturel, but you must be present to bear witness to my majesty. Now go. I will know when you are there.\""
											]
										},
										"When the characters next set foot in Elturel, {@creature Tiamat|RoT} bursts forth from her distant lair and blazes like a meteor across the sky of Avernus. Appearing above the city, she swoops down and focuses her breath weapons on one chain at a time, dealing 67 acid damage, 88 lightning damage, 72 cold damage, and 91 fire damage\u2014more than enough to destroy the chain's links. Once all eight chains are destroyed, Tiamat roars in triumph and departs."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Jaws of Crokek'toeck",
									"page": 150,
									"id": "331",
									"entries": [
										"If the demon {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} is freed from the scab encasing the Bleeding Citadel, it begins wandering Avernus and devouring all in its path. Though the demon consumes indiscriminately, it hungers most for divine blood. As such, the essence of a good-aligned god, the blood of a good celestial, or even the blood of a good paladin draws {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}'s attention from miles away. If the adventurers slather a chain link in blood from such a source, {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} picks up the delicious scent and gallops across Avernus toward it.",
										"The creature must bleed willingly upon a chain link. Either it or an ally can use an action to wound the creature for 5 ({@dice 1d10}) piercing or slashing damage. This damage can't be negated or reduced, and the infernal energy within the chains causes the creature's hit point maximum to be reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken until the creature finishes a long rest. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} is willing to make at least part of this sacrifice of blood if the characters ask her.",
										"{@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} appears near Elturel within 1 hour of the first drop of blood being shed. All nearby devils immediately try to slay the demon, while nearby demons leap to its defense. As the two opposing forces clash, {@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA} slips past the devils. The demon can gnaw through a bloodied chain link in 1 minute."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Breaking the Contract",
							"page": 152,
							"id": "332",
							"entries": [
								"Voiding the infernal contract between Zariel and {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} causes the hellish chains binding Elturel to crumble to ash. This can be accomplished by either killing Zariel or by destroying the original contract. Zariel can use an action to summon the contract, which appears in her one hand. The contract is otherwise hidden in a secret place known only to her. Getting Zariel to call forth the contract takes guile, as the archdevil can't be {@condition charmed}. Destroying the original copy of {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}'s contract frees Elturel while leaving Zariel's other contracts intact.",
								"The original contract resembles the copy stored in Thavius's {@item infernal puzzle box|BGDIA}: nine square plates of infernal iron linked together by short chains, each plate inseparable from the others and inscribed with the terms of the contract written in Infernal. Casting the contract into the River Styx or immersing it in molten magma of one of Avernus's active volcanoes destroys it instantly.",
								"Destroying Zariel voids all the active contracts she has made with beings across the multiverse. This causes no small amount of cosmic chaos.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Fate of Thavius Kreeg",
									"page": 152,
									"id": "333",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters killed {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} in Baldur's Gate, he crawled out of the River Styx as a {@creature lemure}. In accordance with the terms of their contract, Zariel promoted him to an {@creature amnizu|MTF}, then confined him in her fortress (see \"{@area Poor Devil: Thavius Kreeg|2b8|x}\"). If Thavius dies in the Nine Hells as a devil, he is permanently dead\u2014but this does not break the full terms of Zariel's contract. Even with the primary signatory dead, the people of Elturel remain bound to Zariel by the Creed Resolute.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Killing Thavius",
											"page": 152,
											"id": "334",
											"entries": [
												"Characters hoping for a climactic battle against a worthy adversary won't find one by fighting {@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA}. Despite the power he now possesses, the devil Thavius is a coward who would rather grovel than fight. Killing him marks a wretched end to a wretched life.",
												"If the characters left Thavius alive in {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}, they must find a way back to the Material Plane to kill him. His location in Baldur's Gate (or the chance that he might have fled the city) is left to your determination, as is the process by which the characters can track down his devilish incarnation on Avernus after they return."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Mercy for the Fallen",
											"page": 152,
											"id": "335",
											"entries": [
												"If the characters threaten him, Thavius snivels and begs for his life. He also claims to know where the original contract that sealed Elturel's doom is hidden. This is a lie, the claim a desperate ploy to buy time and, hopefully, a chance to escape."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Ultimate Sacrifice",
							"page": 152,
							"id": "336",
							"entries": [
								"If the characters have no other options for dealing with Zariel, one or more of them might be willing to give up everything in order to save the innocent people of Elturel. When a good-aligned paladin or cleric of 10th level or higher performs such a selfless act, the power of that deed is eternally written upon their soul. To creatures that covet souls, this deed blazes like a bonfire in the darkness\u2014and Zariel desires it. Such a character is likely destined to pass into the Upper Planes after death, and as such, they make a handsome prize for an archdevil to shape into a loyal servant of the Nine Hells.",
								"If any of the characters fit that description, Zariel senses their power when the characters are in her presence. \"Your soul shines bright,\" she says. \"Brighter even than the beacon above Elturel. I would have it.\"",
								"If the character willingly offers their soul in exchange for the souls of the people of Elturel, Zariel is taken aback by their selflessness. She furrows her brow and asks, \"You would lay down your soul for these people? People whose cowardice and weakness have caused you nothing but grief?\"",
								"A character offering to sacrifice their soul can take advantage of this moment of uncertainty, making a Charisma ({@skill Persuasion}) check with advantage to sway Zariel from the path of evil. Resolve a successful check as noted in \"{@area Redeeming Zariel|317|x}\" earlier in this chapter. Even if the check fails, though, Zariel accepts the offered soul in exchange for all the souls of Elturel. Unless you want to add additional challenges for the characters, the archdevil can free the city from its chains and return it to the Material Plane.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Relinquishing the Sword",
									"page": 152,
									"id": "337",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters try to bargain for Elturel's release without the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, Zariel considers their offer and produces a contract stating that she will release the city in exchange for the sword, delivered without any complications or deceit. {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} rankles at the idea of the characters forging any sort of pact with the archdevil, but holds out hope that Zariel can be redeemed if the sword is brought before her.",
										"If the characters present the sword to Zariel and either fail to redeem her or choose not to try, read:",
										{
											"type": "insetReadaloud",
											"id": "338",
											"entries": [
												"Zariel grabs the sword by the blade and lets her fiendish blood cascade down its edge, snarling in pain. \"With this final rite, I discharge my divine duty. Let my name be forever struck from the ledger of Mount Celestia.\" She tightens her grip, and the sword shatters. The angelic spark lodged within it dwindles, then dies."
											]
										},
										"Once destroyed, the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} can't be restored, ending any hope of redemption for the archdevil.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/104-lempw-05-04.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 634
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Making a Deal with Zariel",
							"page": 153,
							"id": "339",
							"entries": [
								"Characters out of other options might simply bow to Zariel's power. If the characters make a deal with Zariel to save Elturel, they must specify that the city is to be freed from its chains and returned to the Material Plane. Otherwise, Zariel will release the chains but leave Elturel in Avernus with no hope of salvation.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "To Destroy a Demon Lord",
									"page": 153,
									"id": "33a",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Baphomet|MTF} and {@creature Yeenoghu|MTF} are both clear and present dangers to Avernus. Although Zariel would relish slaying either of them personally, she gladly draws up a contract agreeing to trade Elturel and the souls within the city for either demon lord's destruction. Delivering the glaive of Baphomet or the flail of Yeenoghu to her is sufficient to prove the characters' success.",
										"If the characters agree to Zariel's terms, they learn that both demon lords have recently converged around Elturel. You can add either demon lord to the battle in \"{@area Endgame in Elturel|340|x}\" later in this chapter. If the characters freed the demon lord {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} in {@area chapter 3|22a|x}, he can also make an appearance."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Shield of the Hidden Lord",
									"page": 153,
									"id": "33b",
									"entries": [
										"If the characters still possess the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}, Zariel blithely declares that she would consider trading Elturel for it. From within the shield, the pit fiend Gargauth begs and sobs and promises the world to the characters if they spare its life and find a way to restore the devil to its former glory. These are empty promises, though Gargauth's fear is real.",
										"If the characters give her the shield, Zariel casts {@spell dispel evil and good} on it. Her spell causes Gargauth to manifest as a miserable, malformed {@creature pit fiend} at half its hit point maximum and with 4 levels of {@condition exhaustion}. She commands the characters to destroy the wretch. If they succeed, she casually dismisses them and ignores any attempt by the characters to hold her to promises made without a contract.",
										"If the characters press Zariel for a formal agreement before giving her the shield, she presents a fair contract. However, she refuses to both free Elturel and return it to the Material Plane, promising only one or the other in exchange for the shield alone."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dealing with the Companion",
							"page": 153,
							"id": "33c",
							"entries": [
								"The Companion that once warded Elturel against undead is powered by a {@creature planetar} trapped inside it. Long thought of as Elturel's savior, the Companion was also its undoing, for it was the beacon that allowed the power of Avernus to drag the city into the Nine Hells.",
								"The Companion is a nearly indestructible metal orb 50 feet in diameter. When it protected Elturel, it hung in the sky like a second sun and emitted sunlight so bright that the orb itself couldn't be seen. Now, lightning plays across the surface of the dull sphere, which is surrounded by a 400-foot-diameter, 10-foot-thick shell of impenetrable, magical darkness. A creature with {@sense darkvision} can't see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can't illuminate it. If this darkness overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 8th level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Unlocking the Companion",
									"page": 154,
									"id": "33d",
									"entries": [
										"The Companion is sealed by nine locks evenly spaced around its equator. These locks can only be opened by inserting nine adamantine rods into them. The rods are hidden in Zariel's {@area wrecked flying fortress|267|x}.",
										"Inserting the nine adamantine rods into the nine locks of the Companion causes its upper hemisphere to open, freeing the planetar within."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Shattering the Companion",
									"page": 154,
									"id": "33e",
									"entries": [
										"The {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA} has the power to shatter the Companion and dispel the darkness around it. Striking the orb with the sword causes the Companion to ring like a bell and then shatter, sounding out an angelic tone that can be heard with perfect clarity across the infinite breadth of Avernus. Unless the sword is wielded by an angel of challenge rating 15 or higher, or a good-aligned cleric or paladin of at least 10th level, the unchecked power reverberates through the sword and shatters it.",
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} knows that the sword possesses this power. However, she wants the characters to use the sword to redeem Zariel, not simply to save Elturel. As such, she conceals this fact unless it's clear that redeeming Zariel is an impossible task.",
										"Alternatively, if the characters strike a bargain with a powerful entity such as Tiamat or a demon lord, that being can attack and shatter the Companion. For more information on allying with a supernatural power, see \"{@area Breaking the Chains|32e|x}\" earlier in this chapter."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Planetar's Power",
									"page": 154,
									"id": "33f",
									"entries": [
										"If the Companion is shattered or unlocked, the {@creature planetar} inside it is released. The planetar's name is Nascius, and its power can help save Elturel, but only if the infernal chains that bind the city have been severed. If asked to save the city, the planetar takes a brief moment to recover its strength. It then swoops down below the fallen city, rises to set the earthmote on its broad shoulders, and raises Elturel out of Avernus and back to its rightful place in the Material Plane.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/105-cfqaj-05-05.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 663
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Endgame in Elturel",
					"page": 154,
					"id": "340",
					"entries": [
						"The material presented earlier in this chapter describes some of the ways the characters might accomplish the goals of redeeming Zariel and saving Elturel. Within the range of available options, you are free to determine the conditions under which those goals are met.",
						"This section describes an epic event that can serve as the adventure's climax: Elturel being pulled down into the River Styx while Zariel and her forces battle an army of demons beneath the city. A demon lord\u2014either {@creature Baphomet|MTF} or {@creature Yeenoghu|MTF}\u2014has launched an all-out attack on Elturel before it's dragged into the River Styx. This section includes encounters that you can run to challenge the characters as they maneuver to confront Zariel. These encounters are suitable for a party of four 13th-level characters. If the party is weaker or stronger, adjust the encounters accordingly.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Event 1: River's Edge",
							"page": 155,
							"id": "341",
							"entries": [
								"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} guides the characters toward Zariel, finding her on the ground of Avernus beneath Elturel. Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "342",
									"entries": [
										"Elturel hangs above you and the River Styx. The iron spikes that anchor the city have dragged it nearly to the river's banks. Within a few hours, Elturel will sink into the Styx.",
										"Hordes of distant demons fly around the city like gnats, and a battle rages fiercely beneath it. Thousands of fiends clash in Elturel's shadow. And at their center stands a being wreathed in flame, striking down demons with tireless fury.",
										"{@creature Lulu|BGDIA} points at the figure with her trunk and whispers, \"That's her. Zariel stands exactly where she always does\u2014where the fighting is fiercest.\""
									]
								},
								"This encounter takes place on an open field bordered by the River Styx, with Zariel visible a mile away. Allow the characters a few moments to plan their next move. When they decide to act, two {@creature Horned Devil||horned devils} break toward them after a fleeing {@creature glabrezu}, which is cut down and dissolves to ichor that flows into the Styx. The devils attack at range with Hurl Flame attacks. Each devil has 125 hit points remaining and fights to the death.",
								"Between this event and the next, the characters might delve deeper into the melee, or could make their way up to Elturel by flying or climbing."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Event 2: Field of Flames",
							"page": 155,
							"id": "343",
							"entries": [
								"The front of Zariel's army has crashed into the flank of the demonic horde, whether on the streets of Elturel or on the battlefield below. Taking on both armies headfirst is impossible, but savvy characters might be able to use the battlefield's geography to avoid combat.",
								"The characters must make three group Dexterity ({@skill Stealth}) or Wisdom ({@skill Survival}) checks to navigate the battlefield, with each round of checks increasing in difficulty\u2014DC 15, DC 17, and DC 19. Every time the group fails a check, each character must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 22 ({@dice 4d10}) poison damage plus 22 ({@dice 4d10}) fire damage from the noxious gas and flames roiling across the battlefield.",
								"After making these ability checks, the characters stumble into a battle between six {@creature Hezrou||hezrous} and Lucille, the {@creature pit fiend} general they spotted as they were leaving Elturel at the end of {@area chapter 2|193|x}:",
								{
									"type": "insetReadaloud",
									"id": "344",
									"entries": [
										"A pit fiend wearing an eyeless helm clutches an infernal battle standard in one clawed hand while swinging a huge flaming mace in the other. The pit fiend is beset on all sides by six hulking, froglike demons that croak vile epithets as they tear the pit fiend's flesh with their claws."
									]
								},
								"Two {@creature Hezrou||hezrous} break off from this melee to attack the characters. The other fiends continue fighting Lucille.",
								"By the time the characters deal with the hezrous attacking them, Lucille has destroyed the remaining hezrous or sent them scrambling away in search of easier prey. Lucille turns toward the characters, gives them a curt nod, and takes to the air. Characters can attack the pit fiend, which has 175 hit points remaining. If they let it go, the pit fiend returns the favor by using its {@item helm of devil command|BGDIA} to issue orders to its troops that the characters are not to be harmed. As the characters make their way toward Zariel, demons that might otherwise cross their path are intercepted by devils, creating an avenue of safe passage for the characters.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"id": "345",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Treasure",
											"page": 155,
											"id": "346",
											"entries": [
												"Lucille's {@item helm of devil command|BGDIA} and {@item battle standard of infernal power|BGDIA} are described in {@adventure appendix C|BGDIA|12}."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Event 3: Showdown with Zariel",
							"page": 155,
							"id": "347",
							"entries": [
								"At some point, the characters get close to {@creature Archduke Zariel of Avernus|BGDIA}. When they do, Zariel is locked in combat with a hyena-faced {@creature balor}\u2014one of Yeenoghu's demons. A 100-foot-diameter circle has formed around Zariel and the balor, as other devils and demons stay clear of the destruction the two unleash. Unless the characters draw attention to themselves, the fiends pay them no mind.",
								"If you don't want to roll dice to determine the outcome of this battle, Zariel reduces the balor to 0 hit points after 4 rounds of combat, causing it to explode in a great fireball. When the battle is over, Zariel has 450 hit points remaining and takes a round to collect herself as the eye of the storm that surrounded her dissolves once more into chaos.",
								"If the characters released {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} from his prison in {@area chapter 3|22a|x} but lost track of him, the demon lord wades into battle and tries to get close enough to Zariel to wrest {@item Matalotok|BGDIA}, his hammer, from her clutches. Devils loyal to Zariel confound {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} at every turn, denying him his prize, and Zariel herself refuses to engage him. Still, the characters can count on {@creature Kostchtchie|BGDIA} to create a distraction big enough to draw attention away from their activities, whatever those might be.",
								"It is hard for insignificant mortals to gain the archdevil's attention, but if they anger Zariel, aid her in combat, or display {@creature Lulu|BGDIA} or the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}, she stops what she's doing and gives the characters a chance to speak to her\u2014or to challenge her.",
								"If the characters attempt to break the infernal chains binding Elturel to the posts that are slowly sinking into Avernus (see \"{@area Breaking the Chains|32e|x}\"), Zariel takes notice when the first chain is sundered or the planetar is released from the Companion. If the characters are making use of a demon to break the chains, Zariel attacks it and defeats it after {@dice 2d4} rounds if the characters don't come to the demon's aid. If Tiamat is the one destroying the chains, Zariel attacks the characters in the hopes that Tiamat will cease her attack once her accomplices are slain.",
								"If Zariel is reduced to 100 hit points or fewer, she withdraws to the edge of the battle, taking refuge in her flying fortress if it's nearby and hasn't been destroyed (see \"{@area Zariel's Flying Fortress|2b0|x}\").",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/106-vgjbn-05-06-5k.webp"
									},
									"title": "The Blood War is the cosmic struggle between the evil forces of Law and Chaos\u2014a war that threatens to tear the multiverse asunder.",
									"width": 5025,
									"height": 3338
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Baldur's Gate Gazetteer",
			"page": 158,
			"id": "348",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/107-7ot5i-06-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1000,
					"height": 642
				},
				"Even the most hardened adventurers watch their steps in Baldur's Gate, where lives hold prices in copper and greed proves deadlier than dragon fire. Baldur's Gate has a reputation for being a rough place, where crime and opportunity walk hand in hand, and where anything can be bought, sold, or seized at swordpoint. If something can be given a price, it's for sale somewhere in Baldur's Gate. Drugs and poisons sit on shelves alongside tinctures and remedies. Trade goods from Chult, mechanical wonders from Neverwinter, tomes of magic from Calimshan, and the most believable counterfeits of each can all be found in the city's stalls.",
				"The Flaming Fist, a mercenary company paid for by the city, protects residents without the barest hint of civil delicacy. The Watch, the guardian force of the wealthy Upper City, exists only to serve the patriars\u2014the city's detached upper class. Meanwhile, crime flourishes under the control of the Guild, which oversees almost every organized criminal act, from dockside gambling rings to blackmail at patriar garden parties. Either under the Guild's auspices or in defiance of them, those who cut purses or throats make a decent living in the city, their talents traded as briskly\u2014and often just as openly\u2014as those of any other professional.",
				"For all its shadows and dark dealings, Baldur's Gate is not without its lights. Some residents earnestly seek to make the city a safer place by banding together to make their own sort of imperfect but effective justice.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "History of Baldur's Gate",
					"page": 158,
					"id": "349",
					"entries": [
						"Since its beginning as a quiet backwater community, Baldur's Gate has undergone a dramatic transformation, becoming the hub of danger and adventure it is today.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Founding Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 158,
							"id": "34a",
							"entries": [
								"Centuries ago, the hero Balduran spent years questing in lands across the Sea of Swords and beyond. When finally he returned to his village of Gray Harbor, he brought fantastic wealth with him, much of which he gifted to friends and family. These boons greatly improved Gray Harbor's fortunes, launching businesses, expanding its docks, and seeing the creation of a defensive wall around the town. In honor of their heroic patron, the citizens came to call one of their new wall's passages Baldur's Gate. Within a generation, though, the gate became synonymous with the community, and the settlement known as Baldur's Gate began appearing on maps of the Sword Coast.",
								"The city's surprising growth attracted all manner of people. Peasants affected by raiding and war, farmers rendered penniless by famine and drought, pirates seeking a neutral port\u2014all types saw a chance to put their mark on the rapidly growing community."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Order in Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 158,
							"id": "34b",
							"entries": [
								"As the city swelled, questions of law and taxation arose. The community's eldest families\u2014largely those wealthy enough to afford homes within the city walls\u2014came to be known as patriars and grew wary of the influx of strangers settling beyond their walls. The creation of various additional taxes on trade and travel led to violence breaking out between the Upper City\u2014behind the original walls of Gray Harbor\u2014and the Lower City, built on the slopes leading down to the Chionthar River. Patriar houses were ransacked, family heirlooms were lost forever, and heirs were kidnapped, never to be seen again. Gold flowed like blood as families and guilds hired mercenaries to protect them. Only the election of a new group of rulers\u2014known as the dukes and, collectively, as the Council of Four\u2014put the matter to rest. These elected rulers have been a part of the city's governance ever since.",
								"Another pillar of order in Baldur's Gate formed when the adventurer Eltan, a noted warrior raised in the area, returned home from exploits abroad. Seeing the chaos that had splintered his beloved city, Eltan united the city's independent mercenary companies under a single banner, that of the Flaming Fist. Eltan used the mercenaries to quash what pockets of disorder he found, punishing lawbreakers for their crimes. Though plenty of theft, blackmail, and assassination continued behind closed doors, the founding of the Flaming Fist marked a new chapter in the city's story."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Bhaalspawn",
							"page": 159,
							"id": "34c",
							"entries": [
								"Over the years, Baldur's Gate has harbored countless evil schemes and conspiracies. Perhaps the most dastardly, though, was that perpetrated by Bhaal, god of murder, who foresaw his own death during the Time of Troubles. While in mortal form, Bhaal conceived multitudes of offspring, plotting to have them resurrect him. They actively hunted and slew each other, with the survivors collecting ever more of Bhaal's godly essence.",
								"Sarevok, a Bhaalspawn and member of the Iron Throne merchants' guild, sought to spark war with the nation of Amn and become the new Lord of Murder. Another Bhaalspawn, aided by powerful allies, thwarted Sarevok's plan and brought stability, if not peace, to Baldur's Gate once more. Yet, Bhaal and his faithful have menaced the city ever since."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Baldur's Gate Today",
					"page": 159,
					"id": "34d",
					"entries": [
						"This chapter describes the independent city of Baldur's Gate as things are in 1492 DR.",
						"The original wall ringing the Upper City still stands, and a second defensive wall now rings the Lower City. The Outer City, a collection of hastily made structures and shantytowns, runs along the River Chionthar.",
						"While the Outer City might seem the most lawless, every district of Baldur's Gate has its own threats. In the Upper City, patriar families and government officials jostle to secure their positions. Many are not above using private agents to acquire blackmail material, sabotage public appearances, or even frame innocents to secure power. The victims of these plots, and officials who want a fair and honest legal system, must resort to hiring their own agents to unearth conspiracies, break out unfairly imprisoned citizens, and obtain evidence the Flaming Fist cannot.",
						"The Upper City's political intrigues and the Outer City's violence spills over into the Lower City, the city's middle ground. Rampant crime, class grudges, foreign threats, and economic pressures leave many Baldurians feeling trapped within their own homes. Flaming Fist patrols react to threats with indiscriminate violence, doing little to make citizens feel safer. As a result, in recent years many citizens have started banding together in crews. These counter-gangs align along professional or neighborhood affiliations, doing their best to protect their territories. While this has given some of the city's people a way of feeling more in control of their lives, it's also increased the number of armed citizens on the streets. Whether the Lower City is actually safer after the formation of crews remains an open question.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/108-e9sso-06-02.webp"
							},
							"width": 875,
							"height": 1000
						},
						"In the Outer City, all the world washes against the city's gates. Here crime and poverty are contrasted by wonders from afar and the riches of cultures across Faerûn. The mix of wanderers and refugees remains in constant flux, with communities forming and disbanding on a monthly basis. None can possibly keep track of all the foreign traditions or the dangerous\u2014sometimes outright evil\u2014religious practices observed in the Outer City. As a result, Baldur's Gate has widely adopted a \"do no harm\" policy when it comes to faiths and organizations operating in the city. Any group is welcome to operate openly so long as the city's important citizens aren't harmed.",
						"Beyond all its dangers, Baldur's Gate is an adventurer's city, a place where a sword-for-hire can find a rich patron, join a secret guild, stalk killers for a bounty, or come to the aid of desperate citizens. Good-hearted champions fight against corruption and bring murderers to justice, while less moral mercenaries find a good price for their services. The city offers opportunities as well as the most reliable and ruthless market on the Sword Coast. Information, treasures, secrets, and souls can be bought or sold for the right price.",
						"As a great hero of Baldur's Gate once said, \"Watch your step in the shadows. Watch your back in the light. Win a prize beyond your wildest dreams or disappear into forgotten history. Every day your life is on the line. Every day you could become a legend. Welcome to Baldur's Gate.\"",
						{
							"type": "inset",
							"name": "Baldur's Gate and Its Coat of Arms",
							"page": 159,
							"id": "34e",
							"entries": [
								"Population: 125,000 (predominantly humans)",
								"Government: Plutocracy, helmed by the Council of Four and Parliament of Peers",
								"Defense: Flaming Fist mercenaries, the Watch",
								"Commerce: Dyes, fish, imports from Chult, mercenaries, nautical supplies",
								"Organizations: The Guild, neighborhood crews, trade guilds",
								"Religions: Gond, Tymora, Umberlee, any other law-abiding faith, cults of the Dead Three",
								"The Baldur's Gate coat of arms represents the city's role as a hub for river and ocean trade as well as nodding toward its namesake, the explorer Balduran. The symbol originated as a pirate emblem, though, and its components hold a double meaning today.",
								"Originally, the alternating bands of water beneath the ship indicated the turbulent dangers of the sea, but also the rich rewards it can bring. The crimson flags of the ship referenced the brutal life of a pirate, blood spilled on the deck or in the water. The crisscrossing ropes and canted sail symbolized the web of secrets and intrigue that mark a pirate captain's life.",
								"Today, some optimistic souls try to recast the seal, claiming its calm waters represent the city's desire to remain a peaceful power and the clear skies symbolize a prosperous future. But those who know the city's history see the cunning and violence underpinning the emblem. For many, the contradictory interpretations make the city's coat of arms all the more fitting."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/109-jqdug-map-6-1.webp"
							},
							"title": "Map: Sword Coast",
							"width": 2092,
							"height": 1321,
							"imageType": "map",
							"grid": {
								"type": "none",
								"size": 285,
								"distance": 100,
								"units": "miles"
							}
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Neighbors, Rivals, and Allies",
							"page": 160,
							"id": "34f",
							"entries": [
								"Other cities and nations keep a watchful eye on Baldur's Gate, which is growing in wealth, power, and influence.",
								"Baldur's Gate trades with the coastal cities of Waterdeep and Neverwinter to the north while contending with the aggressive mercantile nation of Amn to the south. Amn seeks to dominate trade on the Sea of Swords and views Baldur's Gate as a growing threat. Baldur's Gate joined the Lords' Alliance, a coalition of independent cities that includes Neverwinter and Waterdeep, largely because of disputes with Amn. Should Amn decide to attack Baldur's Gate, the city can count on the other members of the Lords' Alliance to come to its defense. This arrangement infuriates Amn, which is not prepared to test the alliance's resolve.",
								"To the east, the nations of Elturgard and Cormyr view Baldur's Gate as a lawless cesspool that might have to be dealt with someday. These nations especially frown on the city's broad religious tolerance.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Candlekeep",
									"page": 161,
									"id": "350",
									"entries": [
										"To enter the great library of Candlekeep, one must furnish the library's monks with a book not already contained in the library's archives. Travelers on the way to Candlekeep often stop in Baldur's Gate, anticipating that they can find such a book in the city's markets. As such, Baldur's Gate does a small but bustling trade in rare books. Several merchants have a known policy of buying valuable books without question, selling them at a high markup. Travelers seeking a specific book also hire mercenaries or adventurers to venture into dungeons or ruins and bring back the prize.",
										"If information can't be found in the whisper-markets of Baldur's Gate, then Candlekeep becomes a logical next stop. Adventurers are sometimes hired to guard a desperate traveler on the road south, or to guard the outrageously rare tomes scholars might carry to gain admission. The Guild knows the signs of a traveler headed for Candlekeep, and often dispatches robbers to steal books and resell them to the merchants of the city."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Elturel",
									"page": 161,
									"id": "351",
									"entries": [
										"Prior to the events described in this adventure, the holy city of Elturel\u2014the capital of Elturgard\u2014sat upriver on the Chionthar. Whereas Baldur's Gate is a cutthroat city policed by mercenaries, Elturel was a lawful city of pious folk watched over by knights of Helm, Torm, Tyr, and Lathander. The two cities couldn't be less alike.",
										"Whenever Baldur's Gate has tried to seize too much territory in Elturgard's eyes, Elturel has responded by imposing a heavy tax on shipments headed downriver. This sort of economic brinkmanship coupled with radically different religious viewpoints has created bad blood between the two cities, though neither city has been eager to test the military might of the other."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Port Nyanzaru",
									"page": 161,
									"id": "352",
									"entries": [
										"Baldur's Gate serves as one of the main ports from which ships depart for Chult, a peninsula far to the south. Port Nyanzaru, located on the northern coast of Chult, enjoys a respectful and mutually beneficial trade relationship with Baldur's Gate, and both cities are united in their dislike for the nation of Amn.",
										"Outside of Port Nyanzaru, Baldur's Gate maintains its own holdings in Chult. Fort Beluarian serves as a beachhead for the interests of the city, the Flaming Fist, and numerous patriar families in Chult. This small military hub oversees much of the exploration (and exploitation) in regions of Chult claimed by Baldur's Gate. It also serves as a departure point for smuggling the region's treasures back the Sword Coast, as well as other ventures the Baldurians would prefer the native Chultans don't learn about. As a result, rarities from the depths of Chult, seen nowhere else on the Sword Coast, regularly trickle into the port and market stalls of Baldur's Gate.",
										"The sea routes between Baldur's Gate and Chult are far from safe. Pirates, Amnian privateers, and sea monsters are common in these waters."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Government",
					"page": 161,
					"id": "353",
					"entries": [
						"The Parliament of Peers, a group mainly composed of nearly fifty patriar members, makes recommendations on issues of law and governance. Once the parliament comes to a majority decision on a matter, usually after much heated debate, it presents its position to the Council of Four. Three dukes and one grand duke make up this ruling council (see \"{@area Council of Four|354|x},\" below, for more information). The council also votes on matters, and in the case of a tie, the grand duke's vote counts as two.",
						"Common belief holds that many parliament members, and possibly one or more of the dukes, can be bribed for their votes. Corrupt parliament members don't wish to be caught taking payments, usually not out of fear of legal reprisal, but of being perceived as incompetent among their peers. The perception is that one who can't be trusted to receive something as simple as a bribe likely can't be trusted to manipulate the city's intricate social web. Such leads to the common farce of officials buying cheap jewelry or fake art objects with their bribe money (usually in the form of platinum coins or jewels) hidden inside.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Council of Four",
							"page": 161,
							"id": "354",
							"entries": [
								"Comprised of four dukes, the Council of Four presides over the government of Baldur's Gate. Though the Parliament of Peers and the patriars hold a great deal of power, the Council of Four is the ultimate authority. It convenes in High Hall, a fortress in the middle of the Upper City, and controls the Flaming Fist, the navy, the tax collectors, and all public utilities, among other things.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard",
									"page": 161,
									"id": "355",
									"entries": [
										"{@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} is a fearless soldier who rose up through the ranks of the Flaming Fist to become its supreme marshal. Ravengard used his military position and influence to secure for himself a seat on the Council of Four. Following the deaths of two council members amid a cloud of corruption and scandal, he persuaded the Parliament of Peers to back his election to grand duke.",
										"Upon ascending to the highest position in the city government, Ravengard refused to relinquish command of the Flaming Fist, making him the most powerful figure in the city by far. This decision has not endeared him to anyone, but Ravengard could care less about his popularity. His only concerns are the stability and prosperity of Baldur's Gate, and he doesn't trust any of the other dukes or anyone in the Parliament of Peers to put the city's interests before their own.",
										"Ravengard rose to grand duke on a platform largely backed by idealistic commoners and enemies of the other established dukes. While he won election handily, Ravengard has struggled in performing his duties, finding his hands tied at every turn by both overt and invisible bureaucracy. Despite this, he's been a voice of reason and common sense on the Council of Four\u2014if not the egalitarianism some hoped. He's also proven largely resistant to scandal and corruption, though many of his fellow dukes and those in the Parliament of Peers still regularly outmaneuver him politically. One of his only obvious pleasures remains the surprise inspections he regularly visits upon the troops at {@area Wyrm's Rock|3c4|x}.",
										"Ravengard was recently tricked into attending a diplomatic summit in Elturel, unaware that his political enemies in Baldur's Gate orchestrated this meeting in a fiendish plot to remove him from power. In his absence, the Flaming Fist is leaderless, the council rudderless."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Duke Belynne Stelmane",
									"page": 162,
									"id": "356",
									"entries": [
										"Once a vigorous and formidable politician, Duke Belynne Stelmane recently suffered a seizure that left her with a partially paralyzed face and slowed speech. In truth, a mind flayer provoked the duke's \"seizure\" when it took mental possession of her. Now Stelmane wages a silent war against the mind flayer's influence, biding her time until she can find a way to signal for aid or regain her will. Not even Stelmane's aides are aware of her secret struggle, though they cover for her as best they can.",
										"Given her current situation, Duke Stelmane is in no position to oppose attempts by her fellow dukes to seize the reins of power in Baldur's Gate."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Duke Dillard Portyr",
									"page": 162,
									"id": "357",
									"entries": [
										"Duke Dillard Portyr was once a respected businessman, but after a string of sour deals, he pulled back from his investments. Now he uses his time to enjoy the comforts that his wealth and title provide him. He lives alone in his manor, having outlived his two wives and three sons, and trades correspondence with his niece, Liara Portyr, who commands a Flaming Fist outpost on Chult known as Fort Beluarian.",
										"Duke Portyr is conflict-averse and goes out of his way to avoid stress. He shows well in social situations, but is easily manipulated in the political arena. He is known for listening with concern, showing an earnest desire to help, making promises to look into things, and then doing nothing. As a result, a great deal of the citizenry's scorn lies heaped upon Duke Portyr's shoulders.",
										"Duke Portyr expressed concern about Ravengard's diplomatic mission to Elturel, fearing what the Flaming Fist might do while Ravengard is away. If his worst fears come true and the Flaming Fist can't control itself, Duke Portyr plans to write a letter to his niece, urging her to return to Baldur's Gate and take command of the Flaming Fist in Ravengard's absence. It's literally the least he can do."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Duke Thalamra Vanthampur",
									"page": 162,
									"id": "358",
									"entries": [
										"Acid-tongued, shrewd, and aggressive, {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA} is the matriarch of the Vanthampur family. Born with nothing, she spent years wallowing in obscurity, repairing and renovating the city's ancient sewer system. One promotion after another followed until she was named Master of Drains and Underways. By then, she had been married three times and given birth to three sons. Her lifelong goal has been to lift herself and her family out of the sewers and into high society.",
										"Years of political dealing, blame shuffling, and bribery paid off when Thalamra was elected to the Council of Four. Although she has served on the council for the shortest amount of time, Duke Vanthampur is easily the most politically savvy council member. She speaks little during meetings of the council, preferring to further her political agenda through meetings in her private offices and at her family estate. When she does choose to debate, she speaks with a strength beyond what it seems like her age should allow, and is known for leveling insults that land unsettlingly close to (supposedly) hidden truths."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Military",
							"page": 162,
							"id": "359",
							"entries": [
								"Baldur's Gate boasts two military forces: the Flaming Fist and the Watch. Use the {@adventure Guard Arrival Times table|BGDIA|9|Guard Arrival Times} to determine how long it takes for the Flaming Fist or the Watch to arrive at a location after a crime or similar incident is reported.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Flaming Fist",
									"page": 162,
									"id": "35a",
									"entries": [
										"The red and gold symbol of the Flaming Fist mercenary company (see \"{@adventure Flaming Fist Coat of Arms|BGDIA|1|Flaming Fist Coat of Arms}\") has become emblematic of Baldur's Gate. The Council of Four funds the Flaming Fist, supporting it as the city's army. Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} is now its undisputed leader.",
										"The Flaming Fist largely patrols the {@area Lower City|39a|x}, though it holds nominal authority over the {@area Outer City|3b5|x} as well. The company has enough to do maintaining order within the city walls without straying too far from its gates, though the Fist has been known to hire independent agents when its ranks are spread thin.",
										"Thousands of soldiers currently serve in the Flaming Fist: in Baldur's Gate proper, at the fortress of {@area Wyrm's Rock|3c4|x} on the Chionthar River, and at remote outposts such as Fort Beluarian in Chult. The Flaming Fist offers employment and a sense of belonging to any who can lift a sword and follow orders. Native Baldurians, immigrants, former criminals, and retired adventurers can all be found within the company's ranks."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Watch",
									"page": 162,
									"id": "35b",
									"entries": [
										"Watch officers can spend their entire careers within the {@area Upper City|37d|x}. Bankrolled by the patriars, the Watch has a reputation as glorified bodyguards for the city's elite.",
										"Orderly and regimented, the Watch maintains precise, predictable patrols. At dusk, the Watch clears the Upper City of everyone but residents, their household staffs, and guests bearing written invitations. Many Watch officers, born and raised in the city, pride themselves on recognizing every Upper City resident on sight.",
										"The Watch operates out of the {@area Citadel|396|x}, a massive keep built into the Upper City's walls. In times of crisis, bells at the {@area High Hall|38c|x} and the Citadel are rung simultaneously. If the pealing continues for more than a few minutes, every Watch member is required to rally at the Citadel or appointed guard posts. The function of the bells is common knowledge.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Guard Arrival Times",
											"colLabels": [
												"District",
												"Arrival Time",
												"Force"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-5",
												"col-5"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"Upper City",
													"{@dice 2d4} minutes",
													"{@dice 2d4} Watch {@creature Guard||guards}"
												],
												[
													"Lower City",
													"{@dice 4d6} minutes",
													"{@dice 2d4} Flaming Fist {@creature Veteran||veterans}"
												],
												[
													"Outer City",
													"{@dice 6d8} minutes",
													"{@dice 2d6} Flaming Fist {@creature Guard||guards}"
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Guard Reactions",
							"page": 163,
							"id": "35c",
							"entries": [
								"Use the following tables each time the party has a run-in with the Flaming Fist or the Watch and you're not sure how the encounter should play out. Such interactions occur often at the city's gates. Roll on the Gate Interactions table if you want to randomly determine the experience characters have as they attempt to pass through a gate.",
								"If someone calls the Flaming Fist or the Watch, reference the {@adventure Guard Arrival Times table|BGDIA|9|Guard Arrival Times} to see how long it takes for the authorities to show up. Then, roll on the Flaming Fist Reactions or Watch Reactions table as appropriate to determine how the guards behave when they arrive.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Gate Interactions",
									"colLabels": [
										"d8",
										"Interaction"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"The guards thoroughly search packs and vehicles, questioning everything and everyone."
										],
										[
											"2",
											"The guards force a line of travelers to wait for {@dice 6d10} minutes for no clear reason."
										],
										[
											"3",
											"The guards refuse to admit anyone with animals, unusual weapons, or obvious magic items."
										],
										[
											"4",
											"The guards don't let anyone through the gate. Those wishing to enter or leave must wait until the gate reopens or try another gate."
										],
										[
											"5",
											"The guards focus their attention on a suspicious traveler and wave a bunch of other people through without searching them or their belongings."
										],
										[
											"6",
											"The guards clear the gate swiftly to let a patriar's litter pass through."
										],
										[
											"7",
											"The guards skip the search if a traveler pays 1 gp for \"express gate\" service."
										],
										[
											"8",
											"The guards wave travelers through without a second look."
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Flaming Fist Reactions",
									"colLabels": [
										"d8",
										"Reaction"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"The guards demand that everyone drop to the ground, bludgeoning those who don't comply immediately. After searching everyone for money, contraband, or other valuable items, they confiscate whatever they find before letting everyone go."
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Exasperated, the guards just want everyone to disperse immediately."
										],
										[
											"3",
											"The guards already have {@dice 1d6} {@creature Thug||thugs} with them from a prior arrest and don't want to deal with another problem."
										],
										[
											"4",
											"The guards make arrests, but are called away mid process and let everyone go."
										],
										[
											"5",
											"The guards merely walk by, as they're already escorting a patriar ({@creature noble})."
										],
										[
											"6",
											"The guards start a bribe bidding war to decide who gets arrested and who goes free."
										],
										[
											"7",
											"An officer arrives with the group, insuring that any arrests are conducted by the book."
										],
										[
											"8",
											"The guards are spoiling for a fight and attack anyone who looks like they might be guilty."
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Watch Reactions",
									"colLabels": [
										"d8",
										"Reaction"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"The guards immediately arrest the poorest looking person involved and lock them in jail for 24 hours before letting them go."
										],
										[
											"2",
											"The guards break up the situation, dispersing everyone without making any arrests."
										],
										[
											"3",
											"The guards confiscate all weapons but make no arrests."
										],
										[
											"4",
											"The guards watch circumstances unfold but take no action that might endanger themselves."
										],
										[
											"5",
											"The guards have clearly been bought off by the richest person involved and do whatever it takes to help that person."
										],
										[
											"6",
											"Believing themselves to be ill-equipped to handle the situation, the guards race away to get the Flaming Fist. (Roll on the {@adventure Guard Arrival Times table|BGDIA|9|Guard Arrival Times} to determine how long it takes for the Flaming Fist to arrive, and roll on the Flaming Fist Reactions table to determine how they behave.)"
										],
										[
											"7",
											"The guards try to bludgeon anyone not wearing jewelry, but make no arrests."
										],
										[
											"8",
											"The guards arrest anyone who can't pay a 5 gp bribe."
										]
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Law and Order",
							"page": 163,
							"id": "35d",
							"entries": [
								"Everyone in Baldur's Gate is expected to hew to common law. Murder, theft, assault, blackmail, and fraud all carry severe penalties. Patriars, the wealthy, and the well-connected are given much more leniency than commoners. A noble heir who steals from a shop might get away with a fine paid by a parent, whereas a commoner committing the same crime may be jailed or publicly flogged.",
								"Both the Watch and the Flaming Fist have the right to dispense immediate justice, should they witness a crime in progress. In unclear situations, or when a person of influence is involved, the accused is jailed until a trial can be set. Patriars and other powerful individuals are usually placed under house arrest, except in dire circumstances. Commoners await their trial in jail. On occasion, a vigilante or hired mercenary will break an accused commoner out of prison in order to ensure the accused's safety until the trial date.",
								"Minor crimes, such as creating a public disturbance, petty theft, or vandalism carry commensurate punishments. Time in the stocks, public humiliation, or a fine are the usual judgments. Some patriar families consider petty crimes to be worse than major ones\u2014they are a sign that one can't manage one's baser instincts. Patriars have been known to pay huge bribes or promise outsized favors to protect a rebellious heir from being charged with a minor crime.",
								"Lawyers must belong to the Barrister's Guild to practice, and the associated fees means they prefer to represent wealthy clients. Poorer citizens often must throw themselves on the mercy of the courts, or scrape together what coin they can to hire an adventurer or mercenary to find evidence to support their plea."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Citizenry",
					"page": 164,
					"id": "35e",
					"entries": [
						"The citizens of Baldur's Gate include many races and ethnicities. Though prejudices can exist among certain residents, Baldur's Gate as a whole is a diverse and unprejudiced\u2014if not welcoming\u2014city.",
						"Many of the patriar families of Baldur's Gate can trace their lineage back for generations, but a significant portion of Baldurians were not born in the city. Most citizens began their lives in Tethyr, the North, the Western Heartlands, or other communities along the Sword Coast. Baldurians born in Amn, the High Forest, and nations bordering the Inner Sea are less common, but still present. Rarely, travelers from as far away as Chult, Mulhorand, or Luiren decide to follow the flow of trade and settle in the city.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Commoners and Crews",
							"page": 164,
							"id": "35f",
							"entries": [
								"Baldur's Gate can be a rough place for ordinary folk. Among the twisting streets of the Lower City, commoners have significantly fewer rights than patriars, with only the brusque mercenaries of the Flaming Fist to keep them safe. Even worse off are the poor residents of the Outer City, many of whom aren't recognized as citizens. With the Flaming Fist too eager to punish criminal behavior by drubbing both accuser and accused, it's important that common folk have someone to watch their backs. That's why the people of Baldur's Gate created crews\u2014collections of likeminded folk who band together for mutual protection. Depending on the crew, this protection can range from taking someone's side in a tavern brawl or guarding each other's shops to price fixing or inter-crew loans.",
								"Crews were the first to institute the common practice of {@i burl}. Under this system, anyone seeking shelter and safety\u2014usually those fleeing from the Flaming Fist or some other danger\u2014can approach a house or shop and give three sharp knocks followed by a heavier one. The residents are then obligated to take that person in and hide them. This applies even to members of opposing crews, though anyone requesting sanctuary from a crew other than their own incurs a debt, both personally and on behalf of their crew. Abusing someone who's granted burl is grounds for immediate expulsion from one's crew, and such \"drowners\" are universally shunned.",
								"The dozens of crews calling Baldur's Gate home are as different in attitude and approach as the city's residents. For instance, everyone in the Lower City knows that if you need cheap muscle, you hire members of the burly Porters' Union or Stonemasons' Guild, and not even the Flaming Fist would willingly pick a fight with the blood-spattered Butchers' Block or the mercenaries and \"security consultants\" of the Bannerless Legion. Other crews, such as the Scribes and Sages or the Honorable Order of Moneylenders, would never dream of getting their hands dirty, while the Apothecary Alliance and Brethren of Barbers don't need to throw a punch to strike fear into rivals. From carpenters to grocers, the Forgeworkers' Lodge to the Wisewoman Weavers, nearly every profession offers some access to a crew. And not just legal professions, either; the Revelers' Union, made up of night-workers who sell drugs, companionship, and other recreations, is one of the most powerful in the city, thanks to the information it gathers from its clients.",
								"Some crews are simply neighborhood-based, their association based on territory rather than trade, such as the Right Pashas of Little Calimshan, the Crossed of Wyrm's Crossing, the Gravemakers of Tumbledown, or the Bloomridge Dandies.",
								"By far the most important crew to travelers, however, is the Gateguides. Made up primarily of teenage lantern bearers, the Gateguides earn a living hiring themselves out to newcomers to show them the ropes of the city, help make connections with other crews, and offer some degree of collective protection.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Noteworthy Laws",
									"page": 164,
									"id": "360",
									"entries": [
										"Of the city's nuanced and unreliably enforced laws, the following tend to be the most surprising to newcomers.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Foreign Agents",
											"page": 164,
											"id": "361",
											"entries": [
												"While traders and visitors to Baldur's Gate are always welcome, spies and saboteurs are not. Legitimate foreign agents, such as ambassadors, are required to report to the High Hall for an elaborate series of interviews and licenses. Visitors technically should do the same, but the law is rarely mentioned at the city's gates and even more rarely enforced. What distinguishes a visitor and a foreign agent can be unclear, and if an individual doesn't have a license marking them as one or the other, any duke or peer can unilaterally change a non-citizen's status, effectively sentencing them to imprisonment or worse."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Livestock Restriction",
											"page": 164,
											"id": "362",
											"entries": [
												"By tradition, Baldur's Gate bans animals larger than a {@creature peacock|BGDIA} within the city walls. Visitors determined not to surrender their beloved pets (or valuable animals they intend to sell) sometimes arrive at the city with large peacocks in tow, to prove their furred companion meets the legal requirement. This has led to a burgeoning, noisy, and particularly cutthroat {@creature peacock|BGDIA}-breeding industry in the Outer City.",
												"Most travelers pay to stable oversize animals, either in Outer City liveries or at ranches outside the city. Some animals are simply surrendered at the gate, though, becoming property of the Watch (in the Upper City) or the Flaming Fist (in the Lower City), or sold during monthly auctions."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Patriars",
							"page": 164,
							"id": "363",
							"entries": [
								"Patriars are the elite upper class of the city, a rank defined largely by money and lines of vague, increasingly inconsequential heritage. Many nobles claim generations of lineage, dating to the earliest days of Baldur's Gate. Their money funds industries and lines political pockets, but their names allow them to wield influence throughout the city.",
								"Some patriars are economically-minded individuals who rise early and spend their days in meetings and negotiations. They fund expeditions into dangerous locales and hire explorers to map uncharted territories. Other patriars manipulate the city's power players through diplomacy and intrigue. They spend their days flitting from theater performances to private balls, while quietly making and breaking the alliances that underwrite the city's structures.",
								"Patriars live and work in the Upper City. Their manor homes employ dozens of servants, along with contingents of personal guards. The wall surrounding the Upper City as well as the constant presence of the Watch\u2014which exclusively patrols that district\u2014goes far toward assuring their security. As a side effect, it also means many patriars go months without engaging with the city's common folk, their insulation leading to the spread of divisive rumors.",
								"Patriars know the danger of the other districts, where their wealth is a lure and their names carry no weight. Patriars who have to travel the Lower City always do so with guards, and still risk robbery or worse violence.",
								"Many patriar families hire proxies to carry out their business in the Lower City or Outer City. If circumstances force patriars to visit the Outer City personally, they typically travel in disguise, paying adventurers or mercenaries to protect them without drawing the attention of a uniformed personal guard.",
								"Among the common folk and criminal element of the city, patriars have a reputation for callousness. Common wisdom holds that patriars are out of touch with everyday life and value citizens' lives cheaply. For some nobles, this assessment holds true. These patriars are class-conscious dilettantes who spend their money on frivolous bets, debauched entertainment, and risky business ventures. For this callous lot, the common people are nothing more than fools to be bilked, clods undeserving of comfort and wealth due to their lack of comfort and breeding.",
								"For a few patriars, though, the inequality of Baldur's Gate is a serious concern. Blocked by a corrupt government and uncaring peers, these civic-minded nobles use unorthodox channels to distribute aid. They quietly fund vigilante action that protects the vulnerable groups. They stage robberies on their own property and secretly send the \"stolen goods\" to sick houses and charities. These patriars know that to act openly is to invite scorn from their peers, which may edge them out of alliances and deals that could strengthen their standing. Worse, it makes them targets for corrupt elite who prefer the city's divisions as they are.",
								"Some good-hearted but naïve patriars have been known to venture into the Lower City and even the Outer City to volunteer with the disadvantaged or share their wealth. Even in disguise, though, these nobles are usually quickly identified and become targets of the Guild or other criminals. More than one patriar on a mission of mercy has disappeared into the Lower City, never to be seen again.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Prominent Patriar Families",
									"page": 165,
									"id": "364",
									"entries": [
										"Below are the names of and a few details about many of the other patriar families in the city.",
										"{@b Belt} owns horses for sale and exchange.",
										"{@b Bormul} is related to the Bormul nobility in Amn and has interests in southern silver mines and vineyards.",
										"{@b Caldwell} owns most of the city's art museums.",
										"{@b Dlusker} is nearly broke but maintains a textile mill in the Lower City and a few slaughterhouses in the Outer City.",
										"{@b Durinbold} is related to Waterdeep nobility and owns large sheep herds.",
										"{@b Eltan} has an ancestral link to the grand duke who formed the Flaming Fist, but sold its interests in the mercenary company to pay debts.",
										"{@b Eomane} owns the most elite perfumery in Baldur's Gate as well as fish- and whale-oil processors that make lamp oil.",
										"{@b Gist} controls much of the city's dye production.",
										"{@b Guthmere} owns butchery and tannery facilities.",
										"{@b Hhune} has ties to Tethyr nobility and the Knights of the Shield, as well as holdings in other major cities.",
										"{@b Hlath} owns several cafes in the city and is awash in gambling debts.",
										"{@b Hullhollyn} owns a merchant fleet and has a trade truce with the Irlentree family.",
										"{@b Irlentree} owns a merchant fleet, has a trade truce with the Hullhollyn family, and has membership in the Merchants' League.",
										"{@b Jannath} owns tin and copper mines.",
										"{@b Jhasso} is part owner of the struggling Seven Suns Trading Coster, a long-standing trade organization.",
										"{@b Linnacker} collects income from gem mines in Tethyr.",
										"{@b Miyar} supplies and repairs wagons and caravans, and has membership in the Merchants' League.",
										"{@b Nurthammas} invests in businesses involved in supplying ships for long voyages.",
										"{@b Oathoon} imports wine and spirits.",
										"{@b Oberon} owns most of the port's dry docks.",
										"{@b Provoss} is nearly destitute after losses to its cattle herds.",
										"{@b Ravenshade} trades in inks, dyes, gems, and jewelry.",
										"{@b Redlocks} has secretly financed piracy and smuggling for a long time.",
										"{@b Rillyn} runs a sword-wielding school, creating new generations of soldiers, mercenaries, and legbreakers.",
										"{@b Sashenstar} owns shipping, mining, and textile operations, and has membership in the Merchants' League.",
										"{@b Shattershield}, a family of shield dwarves, is the only nonhuman family among the patriars and was instrumental in building the city's original walls.",
										"{@b Tillerturn} owns and leases out many buildings in the city.",
										"{@b Vammas} controls the majority of trade from Chult.",
										"{@b Vannath} fled the city of Neverwinter after the eruption of Mount Hotenow and married into the patriars to elevate their status.",
										"{@b Vanthampur} specializes in civic engineering under the purview of family matriarch {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}.",
										"{@b Whitburn} owns the slate quarry east of the city."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Economy and Trade",
					"page": 165,
					"id": "365",
					"entries": [
						"With trade ways running north and south along the Sword Coast, a port on the Sea of Swords, and the Chionthar River leading inland, Baldur's Gate is perfectly situated for its role as a commercial hub. Craftspeople, merchants, traders, and smugglers all make a brisk living in the city, and many immigrants are drawn by the dream that anyone willing to work hard can be successful in Baldur's Gate.",
						"Baldur's Gate has plenty of exports, notably fish, fish glue, and sea salt, but its main economic force is trade itself. The city boasts multiple large and well-connected trade guilds and a marketplace where wholesalers can exchange goods before moving up or down the Sword Coast.",
						"The number of ships in port and traders making their way north or south mean that Baldur's Gate boasts one of the most expansive markets in the west. Coin trumps morals in Baldur's Gate, with profit being the ultimate good. As a result, nearly anything can be bought and sold in the city's shops, whether it be rare jewels, magic weapons, secrets, alliances, or even murder. People visit the city seeking imports from Port Nyanzaru, verdigris-covered treasures dredged from the sea, blackmail information on political rivals, or custom-brewed poisons.",
						"Though the city has laws regarding the sale of stolen property, smuggling, and contract killing, such crimes are rarely reported and even more rarely enforced. Unless the complainant is a patriar or other powerful individual, law enforcement lacks the time and interest to pursue those engaging in mutually beneficial transactions. The unwritten law is do nothing that interferes with the city's economy and make your bargains in peace. Individuals who suffer due to morally questionable contracts must seek out private means of obtaining justice.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Professional Guilds",
							"page": 166,
							"id": "366",
							"entries": [
								"Craftspeople and merchants organize in professional guilds and follow official charters. Unofficial guilds are technically illegal, but in the Outer City, such informal guilds are common.",
								"Most professional guilds operate in the Lower City, but prefer to provide their goods to the wealthy patriar families of the Upper City. Commoners grumble that they can't even buy from their own neighbors, with the choicest items and freshest food traveling up the hill. A laborer might toil all day at a fishmonger's shop, then be forced to take their pay to the Outer City and buy yesterday's catch from an unlicensed seller.",
								"In many cases, guilds intersect with crews. Such groups take an interest in their members beyond a professional level, working to assure that they're safe on the streets and at home so they can return to work the next morning. Those who mistreat a guild member might find themselves ostracized by all members of that profession, or even find themselves cornered by members of the guild's associated crew, their most menacing tools of the trade in hand."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Religion",
					"page": 166,
					"id": "367",
					"entries": [
						"Baldurians are permitted to worship whatever deities they wish, so long as they refrain from violent acts and practices that disrupt trade. While multiple temples rise within the city walls, hundreds of tiny shrines sit along the twisted streets of the Outer City.",
						"In the city proper, worship centers around a handful of well-known and generally respectable deities. Most established temples, with clergy and daily rituals, are in the Upper City, which precludes commoners from worshiping after dark, when only residents are allowed to remain in the Upper City. Since most commoners work during the day, their faith usually becomes secondary in their lives. Ostentatious adherence to religious rituals is seen as a privilege of the wealthy. Some Baldurians even think outwardly displaying one's faith is a sign of pretentiousness and insincerity.",
						"Among the many deities worshiped in Baldur's Gate, a handful hold particular prominence.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dead Three",
							"page": 166,
							"id": "368",
							"entries": [
								"Bane (the Lord of Tyranny), Bhaal (the Lord of Murder), and Myrkul (the Lord of Bones) make up the Dead Three. While these deities have lost much of their power, their faiths still command respect and fear throughout Baldur's Gate. While open worship of the Dead Three is frowned upon in Baldur's Gate, their worship is not illegal\u2014so long as worship remains within the laws. Every now and then, rumors surface that a powerful political figure is a Bhaalspawn (see \"{@area Bhaalspawn|34c|x}\"). These claims almost always prove to be smear campaigns with no basis in truth\u2014though, in some cases, such claims have actually raised a figure's standing in the public eye.",
								"For more details on the Dead Three, see \"{@area Dangers in Baldur's Gate|370|x}\"."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Gond",
							"page": 166,
							"id": "369",
							"entries": [
								"The High House of Wonders, located in the Upper City, serves as the city's temple of Gond, a god of innovation and invention. Within the walls of the temple, clergy members are permitted to brew experimental potions and elixirs, build and test mechanical constructs, and hire locals to participate in controlled experiments\u2014all in the spirit of invention and innovation.",
								"High-ranking members of Gond's clergy oversee a number of secret projects sponsored by wealthy patriars or the Flaming Fist."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Helm",
							"page": 166,
							"id": "36a",
							"entries": [
								"In a city as dangerous as Baldur's Gate, prayers to the Vigilant One are many. Members of the Watch and the Flaming Fist, mercenaries, bodyguards, and the fearful pray for Helm's protection at his shrine, the Watchful Shield, located in the Upper City. Patriars who see themselves as protectors of the common folk pray to Helm for guidance as well.",
								"The Order of the Gauntlet, a good-aligned faction devoted to Helm, quietly sponsors vigilantes throughout Baldur's Gate. These self-styled \"protectors of the innocent\" leave Helm's holy symbol on the bodies of dead criminals, or carved into the flesh of live ones left at the Flaming Fist's doorstep."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ilmater",
							"page": 166,
							"id": "36b",
							"entries": [
								"Ilmater's humble shrine stands in a quiet square in Heapside. The Shrine of Suffering provides free meals and a few coppers to the poor and destitute.",
								"Even in the Upper City, some citizens feel their existence is one of secret torment and suffering. The idea that pain has nobility to it\u2014that there can be a divine reason behind the trials that face Baldurians\u2014comforts many.",
								"Some patriars spread word of Ilmater's faith not out of devotion, but to control their lessers. If people believe their suffering is worthy, they are less likely to demand safer conditions, higher pay, or more rights. In recent memory, cryptic notes have appeared on the gates of patriar estates, warning that \"those who falsely champion the Crying God will find their own suffering multiplied.\"",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/110-i0skp-06-03.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 537
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Oghma",
							"page": 167,
							"id": "36c",
							"entries": [
								"An eye-catching, white marble pavilion in the Upper City known as the Unrolling Scroll serves as Oghma's shrine. Pilgrims on the road to Candlekeep often stop at the shrine to purchase or trade rare tomes. Adventurers looking for work sometimes linger nearby, waiting to hire on to missions intent on recovering lost books of magic."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Siamorphe",
							"page": 167,
							"id": "36d",
							"entries": [
								"Siamorphe, goddess of nobility and divine right, is not widely worshiped in Baldur's Gate, but her image looks out from the alcoves of weathered noble estates and from behind vines within patriar gardens.",
								"Long ago, many nobles of Baldur's Gate worshiped Siamorphe. Legend tells that her temple was a wonder to behold, its nave decorated with crests of the most powerful ruling families of the time. A secret vault contained signet rings, family trees, and copies of important decrees, holding them in case of some calamity.",
								"During one of the city's early uprisings, the temple became a target for rioters and was burned to the ground. Where the temple stood has since been forgotten. However, rumors persist that the temple's vault is likely hidden beneath a patriar home or even a different temple. Urban treasure hunters, desperate politicians, and disenfranchised nobles still sift through the unreliable records of ages past to find it."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Tymora",
							"page": 167,
							"id": "36e",
							"entries": [
								"Adherents of the goddess of good fortune maintain her temple in the Upper City. Given the number of people in Baldur's Gate who rely on luck to make it through each day, her following thrives. Even cruel-hearted criminals turn to Tymora for luck, hoping the goddess recognizes their boldness and daring. Evildoers who work outside the Guild tip their hats to Lady Luck before going out on a job.",
								"Citizens who must walk the Lower City at night, or who venture into the depths of the Outer City, usually whisper joint prayers to Tymora and Helm. They know that luck is almost as valuable as vigilance when it comes to staying alive in the city.",
								"Tymora's temple unofficially serves as a gathering place for adventurers seeking dangerous quests. Citizens with bizarre problems or in overwhelmingly perilous situations come to the temple in hopes of finding the perfect aid to help them."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Umberlee",
							"page": 167,
							"id": "36f",
							"entries": [
								"No city as reliant on the sea as Baldur's Gate could do without a temple to Umberlee. Fisherfolk pray to the Queen of the Depths for good waters to ply their trade, and sailors beg Umberlee's mercy before embarking on their voyages.",
								"Smugglers, too, pay homage to Umberlee. A great deal of illegal trade passes through the harbor in small crafts on moonless nights, and smugglers\u2014particularly of dangerous beasts and kidnapped souls\u2014know to drop a few coins into the water as they pass into the harbor to appease Umberlee.",
								"Umberlee's adherents work out of the Water Queen's House, a magnificent structure on the city docks. They provide blessings to sailors and identify relics dredged up from the deep. When Umberlee is offended by the removal of an item from the sea, she expresses her displeasure to the clergy by sending them omens, urging the priests to advise the finder to return the plundered item to the depths at once\u2014or else.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/111-2brwh-06-04-2k.webp"
									},
									"title": "Murderous servants of the Dead Three corner their prey near the statue of Minsc and Boo.",
									"width": 2000,
									"height": 1329
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Dangers in Baldur's Gate",
					"page": 170,
					"id": "370",
					"entries": [
						"Crime is a powerful force in the city. Fearsome creatures hunt along cobbled streets, and the worship of evil deities continues to rise.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Guild",
							"page": 170,
							"id": "371",
							"entries": [
								"The organization known simply as the Guild unites cutpurses, loan sharks, killers, thugs, con artists, grave robbers, cat burglars, and every other type of criminal in the city. The Guild operates under the noses of the Watch and the Flaming Fist by adroitly keeping its illicit activities quiet.",
								"Each city neighborhood falls under control of one or more kingpins, crime bosses who report to the head of the Guild. These kingpins style themselves as elite criminals, often adopting memorable nicknames and distinctively decadent dress. Scores of common criminals work beneath each kingpin, with the most competent and cutthroat members rising to favored status.",
								"Some kingpins keep strictly to the shadows, but others operate more openly. Particularly in the Outer City, citizens often know their local kingpin. A kingpin might receive requests for help from citizens, asking for loans or dealing with unauthorized crime, such as a thieving neighbor. A kingpin tracks these favors and debts, calling them in when it suits them\u2014often with interest.",
								"Rivalries exist between kingpins, and their territorial borders shift constantly. As long as these internal feuds don't disrupt Guild business or draw the attention of the authorities, no one interferes. Recent rumors claim that an Outer City kingpin known as Straightstick is calling in all his favors to make a move on a Lower City turf. Crossing the wall is riskier than the average power play, and those in the know predict the coming conflict to be a bloody one.",
								"Guild operations in the Outer City center on smuggling and gambling. Some violent crime and theft occur, but for the most part, Outer City residents are too poor to draw the attention of the Guild. Travelers and visitors do fall victim to pickpocketing, muggings, and assault, though. As the Flaming Fist rarely comes to the district, the Guild has long operated with impunity. In recent years, though, the interference of vigilantes and hired adventurers has been on the rise.",
								"The Lower City serves as the heart of the Guild's operations. The locals here have enough money to make burglary and protection schemes worthwhile, and the Flaming Fist is spread too thin to address every instance of petty crime. The Guild's operations widen to numerous commercial ventures, such as gambling dens, animal fights, races, and brawling tournaments. Their traffickers also maintain routes into other districts, and guide individuals and illicit trade through them for a fee. Those who oppose the Guild\u2014typically by going to the Flaming Fist\u2014invite retaliation upon themselves and their neighbors. This makes most folk afraid to report crimes and pressures their neighbors to keep quiet as well.",
								"In the Upper City, the Guild engages in burglary, extortion, blackmail, and confidence games. Patriars might even hire Guild members to gain (or plant) information about their rivals, involving the Guild in Upper City politics.",
								"Only the most talented criminals dare to burgle patriar estates, but the lower ranks of a kingpin's operation often work as pickpockets or try to con residents of the district. Here, the Watch zealously monitors for Guild activities and targets anyone threatening the peace. Kingpins can often come to an agreement with the Watch, though, offering bribes so that Watch officers look the other way. Every month, the kingpin makes their payment to the Watch and selects a new safe word. Guild members caught by the Watch utter the safe word to avoid arrest. Rival kingpins and unaffiliated criminals looking to work in the Upper City pay well for the month's safe word, though any member of the Guild found selling the information faces harsh punishment.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Nine-Fingers Keene",
									"page": 171,
									"id": "372",
									"entries": [
										"The current leader of the Guild, {@creature Nine-Fingers Keene|BGDIA}, disdains flashy garb and illusion magic. She appears to the world as she is: an unassuming woman of middling age and build. Her forgettable looks have proven her greatest asset as a thief, as her victims have trouble recognizing her even when they meet her again face-to-face. Keene's leadership over the years earned her a reputation of thoughtful pragmatism. When necessary, she seeks revenge for offenses against the Guild\u2014provided doing so is profitable. Her methods are vicious when necessary, and she is as feared as she is respected.",
										"Keene has become increasingly intolerant of the populous tide turning against her organization. While the occasional rabble-rouser has always impeded criminal business, the rise of organized crews and vigilantes is interfering with Guild operations. After a carefully coordinated attack on a patriar's estate fell to pieces when a vigilante clumsily alerted the estate guards, Keene declared open season on do-gooders of all stripes.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/112-637008615720684842.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Nine-Fingers Keene|BGDIA}",
											"width": 400,
											"height": 455
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Dead Three",
							"page": 171,
							"id": "373",
							"entries": [
								"The plots of patriars and the schemes of Guild operatives fill the gossip and whispers of Baldur's Gate. Yet, throughout the city, no names are as synonymous with dastardly acts as those of Dead Three. The demigods Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul walk among mortals, personally seeking followers to their cause. More than once, it's rumored, the trio has even trod the streets of Baldur's Gate.",
								"Nefarious patriars whisper prayers to Bane when they seek to gain power through coercion, intimidation, and forceful exaction of the law. Gang leaders, evil mercenaries, and others who rely on fear and control, also pay homage to Bane. Those who want to evoke dominance and ruthlessness favor wearing black gloves\u2014a nod to Bane's holy symbol.",
								"Myrkul claims a following among those who wish to learn from or command the dead. Those who plunder tombs for lost knowledge, grim entrepreneurs who see business sense in undead servants, even pragmatic necromancers seeking to conjure secrets from the wealthy dead of Cliffside Cemetery all whisper prayers to Myrkul. Of the Dead Three, Myrkul's base of power is the smallest. Residents of Baldur's Gate rarely fear death by old age\u2014a grim fact of living in such a dangerous city. As a result, few desperate elders seek the blessing of the Lord of Bones. Those who do, though, tend to be both cagey and wealthy, which means that although Myrkul's worshipers are small in number, their resources have hidden depths.",
								"Since the time when the Bhaalspawn Sarevok plotted to start a war between Baldur's Gate and Amn as a path to claiming Bhaal's power, awareness of the Lord of Murder's children has grown. Baldur's Gate maintains a grim draw for Bhaalspawn, whether due to some foul influence in the city itself, or merely because of Sarevok's lingering reputation.",
								"At the same time, worship of Bhaal proves darkly popular in Baldur's Gate. Few openly admit to worshiping the Lord of Murder, but there is an unspoken assumption that anyone who benefits from violent death has some respect for Bhaal. Assassination and murder underpin many of the plots in the city, from the business of highly-paid killers on patriar payrolls to slayings of opportunity committed by Outer City fanatics. Such bloodthirsty faithful rarely gather in numbers, but they typically mark themselves by carving a fresh gouge on their thumbs\u2014spilling their blood in Bhaal's name while creating a subtle mark identifying that identifies them among allies. Despite the Lord of Murder's decentralized worship, some believe a temple to Bhaal exists near or under the city, possibly in an ancient chamber beneath the sewers or carved into Dusthawk Hill. Rumor holds that eleven red crystals on the wall of the temple grow brighter with every murder committed, gathering power for either Bhaal or one of his future chosen. Some claim that Bhaal himself regularly visits the temple, his presence contributing to the city's high murder rate.",
								"While the Dead Three occupy a prominent place in Baldurians' fears, their faiths currently have only the shallowest roots in the city. Followers of the Dead Three have done more to incite dread than faith. As a result, their numbers remain relatively small. Their sinister reputations outstrip their actual influence, though, with gossip spreading quickly whenever the deities' ominous symbols appear in graffiti or the Flaming Fist cracks down on overzealous fanatics. Despite public fears and resistance from law enforcement, the cults of the Dead Three persist, causing many to darkly wonder why the servants of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul hold such interest in Baldur's Gate.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Prominent Guild Kingpins",
									"page": 171,
									"id": "374",
									"entries": [
										"All Guild operations are overseen by kingpins, a handful of which are described below.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Goblin Behnie",
											"page": 171,
											"id": "375",
											"entries": [
												"Most are surprised to find Goblin Behnie looks nothing like his name or monstrous reputation suggest, the Bloomridge kingpin being a tall, polished-looking gentleman in his early thirties. The name comes from his ferocious ego, wild rages, and a propensity for biting off the fingers of those who disappoint him. Behind his viciousness, though, Goblin Behnie has a keen eye, making him and his forgers the city's best source of illicit Watch tokens (for passage into the Upper City), visitor licenses, and docking permits."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Straightstick",
											"page": 171,
											"id": "376",
											"entries": [
												"The kingpin of the Twin Songs Faithless runs one of the city's best smuggling operations, slipping goods into the city along the Chionthar River and over Dusthawk Hill. The seventy-year-old claims to have been attacked by the infamous (and doubtfully real) Ol' Cholms, a giant snapping turtle rumored to sleep at the bottom of Gray Harbor. To prove his story, Straightstick uses a splinted old ferry pole as a crutch. Recently, the kingpin has grown bitter about his position, believing he deserves a territory within Baldur's Gate proper. He's planning an attack on Brampton, the destination of much of his smuggling and the territory of his ex-wife, Diamond Urchin."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "The Whiskey Lady",
											"page": 171,
											"id": "377",
											"entries": [
												"Few know that the last true heir of the Raddle patriar family died several years ago. Despite this, \"Dowager Raddle\" continues to throw lavish social events at her estate, though she never personally attends. Instead, her supposed relative welcomes guests, engaging them with sharp wit, hard liquor, political gossip, and political opportunities of \"gray\" legality. No one seem to know their host's name, though\u2014a faux pas none would ever admit. As a result, the Manorborn neighborhood's politically active Guild kingpin is known only as the Whiskey Lady."
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "gallery",
									"images": [
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/113-v7txv-map-6-2.webp"
											},
											"title": "Map 6.2: Baldur's Gate",
											"width": 5025,
											"height": 3338,
											"imageType": "map",
											"grid": {
												"type": "none",
												"size": 88,
												"distance": 250
											},
											"id": "3d6"
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/114-xroll-map-6-2-player.webp"
											},
											"title": "Player Version",
											"width": 5250,
											"height": 3488,
											"imageType": "mapPlayer",
											"grid": {
												"type": "none",
												"size": 92,
												"distance": 250
											},
											"mapParent": {
												"id": "3d6",
												"autoScale": true
											}
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Murder",
							"page": 174,
							"id": "378",
							"entries": [
								"Blackmail and theft pay well, but murder is the preferred tool of the ambitious. Murder silences witnesses, disposes of enemies, and clears the path to power. Assassins never lack for work in Baldur's Gate.",
								"In the Outer City, murder is practically a way of life. With neither the Watch nor the Flaming Fist to look after residents, criminals run free in the sprawling district. Criminals use murder to keep order among their ranks and remove threats to their organization. So-called \"snuff streets\" hold the bodies of the dead, dumped by their murderers in piles along the lane. The most desperate of Outer City residents prowl the snuff streets, hoping to find a missed copper piece or a salvageable boot to pawn. They strip the teeth from bodies, cut off hair that might fetch a coin, and sometimes\u2014it is rumored\u2014slice flesh from the corpses to stave off starvation. Recent reports of ghoul activity in the Outer City likely have their origins in these snuff streets.",
								"In the Lower City, murder is less common but remains a threat. Long-time residents know to travel in groups after dark. Those looking to earn a few coins sometimes linger outside of taverns, hiring out as escorts for drunken patrons. Revelers can stay as late as they wish and still get home safely, provided they hire someone trustworthy to guard their trip home.",
								"Most murders in the Lower City have reasons behind them. The merchant found with his throat cut and pockets emptied, the husband murdered so his wife can marry her young mistress, the tyrannical shop owner stabbed by a desperate underling\u2014residents understand these crimes. What frightens people are the senseless murders. The man found ripped to pieces with his pockets still full of gold, the woman slaughtered so viciously that her grieving husband is sent to the asylum, the shop owner who suddenly strikes down his faithful clerk\u2014these are the crimes that lead to panic and wild rumors.",
								"Some commoners claim that something about the city itself sparks violence in its citizens. A popular theory is that the spirits of the vicious pirates that once sailed the harbors still influence the city. Another is that the spirit of the long-executed serial murderer Alhasval Drenz, the Whitkeep Whistler, still stalks the city, possessing innocents to continue her unmatched killing spree. This adventure posits a third possibility: that the presence of the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA} fuels the avarice and ambitions of evil-minded folk in Baldur's Gate. This magic item lies in a vault under Vanthampur Villa (see {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}) and has a pit fiend trapped inside it (see \"{@adventure Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA|12|Shield of the Hidden Lord}\"). Were the shield to be taken from the city, the murder rate might drop suddenly.",
								"It's unclear whether the rise of Bhaal's faith in Baldur's Gate stems from the frequency of murders, or if the murders spring from the worship of Bhaal. The Flaming Fist suspects a group of Bhaal worshipers behind a spate of recent similar murders, the victims stabbed to death and their own blood dribbled like a crown around their heads. The Fist's investigations have not yet resulted in an arrest, but officers suspect the murderers to be commoners with seemingly unremarkable lives covering their true, bloodthirsty natures.",
								"In the Upper City, murder brings results. Muggings and crimes of opportunity are rare here. The Watch keeps Upper City residents safe from criminals and riffraff. The biggest threat to patriars are other patriars.",
								"Bribery and blackmail can secure votes or sway an allegiance temporarily, but murder permanently changes the makeup of the Parliament of Peers. Several elite assassins exclusively take on political targets. The Watch puts little effort into tracking down expert assassins, knowing that arresting one means possibly exposing a whole cadre of powerful patriars. The wrath that would fall on the Watch isn't worth putting one assassin in the cells."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "City Landmarks",
					"page": 174,
					"id": "379",
					"entries": [
						"Today, Baldur's Gate is split into three districts: the wealthy Upper City on the hills above the docks, the bustling Lower City around the harbor, and the lawless Outer City (which includes all neighborhoods outside the city walls). Regardless of what district one might be visiting, certain features are impossible to ignore, like the wash of Gray Harbor, the shadows of Dusthawk Hill, or the gates that contribute to the city's name.",
						"Important landmarks are marked on the large map of the city ({@adventure map 6.2|BGDIA|9|Map 6.2: Baldur's Gate}), which shows the entirety of Baldur's Gate and its immediate surroundings.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Gates",
							"page": 174,
							"id": "37a",
							"entries": [
								"Nine gates separate the districts of Baldur's Gate, providing the only points of entry to pass from the Upper City to the Lower City, or from the walled city proper to the Outer City and the wider world beyond. Baldurians, particularly if they do not wish to reveal a crew or family affiliation to a potentially hostile audience, often describe themselves by the nearest gate to their homes. Terms like \"Gondgater\" and \"Dragongater\" are widely understood as neighborhood identities, and are also understood as a way of eliding more troublesome connections.",
								"The Watch guards gates leading to the Upper City, while the Flaming Fist oversees the rest. Guards assigned to Baldur's Gate and Black Dragon Gate stay at sharp attention and seldom accept bribes. Those assigned to the smaller and more secluded gates, however, can be less attentive, particularly when distracted by jingling coins.",
								"Anyone entering the city must pay a nominal entry toll of 5 cp. While this is a small sum, it ensures that the truly destitute remain outside, consigned to the slums of the Outer City. Beggars and refugees crowd at the fringes of these slums, typically around Black Dragon Gate and Basilisk Gate, pleading for money to pay the toll and hoping that the guards won't drive them off for annoying more prosperous travelers.",
								"When the city is not under lockdown, merchants pour through the external gates from morning till night, while peddlers, delivery carriers, and servants move in equally swift streams through the inner gates. Toll collectors work quickly but methodically to inspect incoming and outgoing trade goods, ensuring that commerce flows smoothly and the city gets its share at every turn.",
								"The city gates are closed at night. At dusk, the Watch evicts anyone from the Upper City who is not a patriar, bearing a patriar's livery or permission letter, or carrying a Watch-issued token. The enforcement of this rule is one of the means by which the Upper City reinforces its snobbery over the other districts. More than one Lower City merchant visiting an Upper City restaurant or theater near sundown has been embarrassed by a Watch member's loud, public caution that the gates are about to close. While being seen hurrying toward the gates is an obvious embarrassment, being caught and escorted out would be far more bruising\u2014both to one's ego and body.",
								"The nightly closing of the gates ostensibly keeps the patriars safe. Closing off the Upper City pushes street crime into poorer neighborhoods, or out of the city altogether. In the Upper City, patriars can walk down alleys with relatively little fear, but beyond its well-lit streets and tightly watched gates, the other districts become much more dangerous after dark."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Gray Harbor",
							"page": 175,
							"id": "37b",
							"entries": [
								"One of the largest and deepest harbors on Faerûn's western coast, Gray Harbor is also one of the busiest. The city's independence and general laissez-faire attitude toward the types of goods and people flowing through its port\u2014so long as the government gets its cut\u2014means that the harbor throngs with both honest captains conducting forthright trade and pirate crews looking to fence their wares. Plenty of sailors also make their homes nearby in the Lower City.",
								"The harbor's most immediately striking feature is its machinery, with dozens of enormous cranes and countless powered scoops and cargo carts dramatically accelerating the loading and unloading process. Though designed by the Church of Gond, these marvels are run by the Harborhands, the most powerful crew in the city thanks to the dockworkers' ability to shut off the city's economic lifeblood with a strike. Managing the whole affair is Harbormaster Darus Kelinoth, a lawful neutral male human {@creature noble} who runs the port's operations and taxation from a small, heavily fortified brick building set well apart from other structures.",
								"The port itself is a tangle of piers, floating docks, and anchorages, from the massive Freighter's Finger pier catering to the heaviest barges to the more ordinary slips at Northtree or Commonsdock. Not actually attached to shore, the chaotic Flotilla is the city's cheapest long-term moorage option, where boats are welcome to raft together around common anchor buoys, and where some houseboats haven't moved in generations. A special division of the Flaming Fist called the Gray Wavers patrols the harbor, yet it's no secret that the more expensive docks are safer than the budget options. Sailors and even whole ships have been known to go missing in Gray Harbor, and while some assume such disappearances are the result of local shore-based pirates, others speak of Ol' Cholms, a mysterious sea beast capable of dragging ships down to the river's lightless bottom."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Dusthawk Hill",
							"page": 175,
							"id": "37c",
							"entries": [
								"East of the city, high above the scattered slums and cut-rate inns that stretch along the trade road, rises the steep yellow granite of Dusthawk Hill. This cliff-skirted hill is one of the last known refuges of the Chionthar dusthawk (use the {@creature hawk} statistics), a once-common raptor whose numbers precipitously declined over the last century as regional turmoil and the ever-spreading slums outside Baldur's Gate consumed its habitat.",
								"Local legend holds that the dusthawk was Balduran's favorite hunting bird, and that the Chionthar population is descended from his own personal hunting hawks. When the dukes of Baldur's Gate realized that the dusthawk was on the verge of extinction, they declared the hill, which included both the hawks' cliffside nests and their hunting grounds, to be off limits to unlicensed hunters. Despite the fences and cliffs that cordon off most of the hill, trespassers remain common, the demand for dusthawk hunting birds having exploded among the wealthy.",
								"Many in the Outer City resent the hill being turned into private land. Several camps and slums were cleared as a result, their dwellers losing everything. The homeless resent the patriars for being willing to spend money giving hawks a home, but not them. Others resent the Flaming Fist guards who keep them from trapping on the hill. Stringy rabbits and scrawny quail made poor meals, but they were meals, and now many hunters have none.",
								"Rumors hold that werewolves lair in the sea caves under Dusthawk Hill, pretending to be ordinary smugglers\u2014or ordinary animals\u2014while plotting against the city. Whenever a grisly murder captures Baldurians' imaginations, someone is always quick to claim that it must be one of the Dusthawk werewolves who did the deed."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Upper City",
					"page": 176,
					"id": "37d",
					"entries": [
						"The Upper City, home to the patriar aristocracy of Baldur's Gate, is a place of beauty and splendor, where magnificent public sculptures stand alongside historic manors, upscale theaters and boutiques, and tiny stone-walled gardens tucked among the streets like hidden jewels. Flowers bloom along the tree-lined streets, ushering away any stray miasma that escapes from the less fortunate quarters below. Silks and velvets, gold braid and mink, water-clear diamonds and luminous pearls: these are common sights in the Upper City, and hardly glimpsed elsewhere except as cheap imitations.",
						"Everything in the Upper City speaks of privilege and wealth. Magical lights illuminate the clean-swept streets, some bearing enchantments that hold back the river fog. Most of the city's major temples are located in this district, flagrant evidence of how the faiths value the city's wealthy elite over congregants with shallower pockets. The finest wine shops, ateliers, and jewelers are all in the Upper City, where the Watch's nightly ritual of expelling all non-residents reinforces their air of luxurious exclusivity. Those without either Watch-issued tokens or a patriars' vouchsafe must leave at nightfall, without exception.",
						"Residents of the Upper City feel great pressure to maintain outward appearances, and will keep their estate's facade finely maintained even at the cost of pawning everything within. Admitting to poverty in this district is admitting to shameful failure.",
						"The patriars' unabashed snobbery fosters deep resentment among denizens of the Lower City and Outer City, who can see the good life enjoyed before their eyes but are excluded from all but the smallest tastes. The Watch is merciless about turning beggars and malcontents away from the gates, where an erratically enforced entry toll for non-residents and those without Watch tokens or escorts effectively bars the poor from setting foot within this district. A patriar caught outside the Upper City after dark, therefore, is at high risk of robbery, beating, or worse.",
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/115-xxr8w-06-05.webp"
							},
							"width": 1000,
							"height": 650
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Upper City Random Encounters",
							"colLabels": [
								"d20",
								"Encounter"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1\u20136",
									"No encounter"
								],
								[
									"7\u201310",
									"Harmless interaction (roll on {@adventure table A|BGDIA|9|Table A: Upper City Harmless Interactions})"
								],
								[
									"11\u201316",
									"Denizens (roll on {@adventure table B|BGDIA|9|Table B: Upper City Denizens})"
								],
								[
									"17\u201320",
									"Threat (roll on {@adventure table C|BGDIA|9|Table C: Upper City Threats})"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Table A: Upper City Harmless Interactions",
							"colLabels": [
								"d12",
								"Interaction"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"A pallid maid wearing the livery of House Bormul stumbles into a party, whispers \"not... shellfish,\" and passes out."
								],
								[
									"2",
									"A smirking valet eyes the party, slips over, and hands them an elegant crimson envelope: an invitation to a gathering at Eomane House."
								],
								[
									"3",
									"A wide-eyed, fast-talking priest of Gond laments that a thief stole her designs for a \"pocket clock.\" She describes the thief as a tall, perfume-scented man in black wearing a red scarf."
								],
								[
									"4",
									"A chatty stranger, Ellyn Harbreeze, invites the party to tea at Harbreeze Bakery, eager to gossip with them."
								],
								[
									"5",
									"A merchant giving away samples of her wares offers each party member a free cigar."
								],
								[
									"6",
									"A street artist offers to sketch one of the characters for the modest fee of 3 copper pieces. The sketch isn't particularly good."
								],
								[
									"7",
									"A priest of Tymora approaches the party, offering them a small sum to help do a good deed for a poor family at the Lady's Hall."
								],
								[
									"8",
									"Ominous, disembodied whispers reach the party's ears. The whispers lead to Hhune House."
								],
								[
									"9",
									"The wizard Lorroakan approaches the party, offering them pay and free waterproofing for their clothing if they help him clean out the cluttered upper floors of Ramazith's Tower."
								],
								[
									"10",
									"Yvandre Rillyn asks if a party member really knows how to use a distinctive weapon they carry. If so, she asks them to be a guest teacher at the Rillyn School."
								],
								[
									"11",
									"One random character is struck by a kite. The kite is being flown by a young boy belonging to a wealthy patriar family. One of the boy's nine bodyguards checks to make sure the character is okay."
								],
								[
									"12",
									"A shady broker claims to know exactly what the party needs, leading characters to the Undercellar to show them a selection of interesting but shady goods."
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Table B: Upper City Denizens",
							"colLabels": [
								"d10",
								"Denizens"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"{@dice 2d4} Watch {@creature Guard||guards} who demand to see strangers' passage tokens"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Acolyte||acolytes} of Gond or Tymora"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"{@dice 2d6} patriar servants ({@creature Commoner||commoners}) on errands"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"1 patriar (human {@creature noble}) and 6 personal bodyguards ({@creature Veteran||veterans})"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"{@dice 1d4 + 1} entitled young patriars (human {@creature Noble||nobles}), each with one personal bodyguard ({@creature thug})"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"{@dice 1d6} visiting dignitaries ({@creature Noble||nobles}) and {@dice 2d4} {@creature Guard||guards}"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"{@dice 1d4} High Hall messengers ({@creature Scout||scouts})"
								],
								[
									"8",
									"{@dice 2d4} entertainers ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
								],
								[
									"9",
									"1 Flaming Fist officer ({@creature knight}) and {@dice 2d4} Flaming Fist soldiers ({@creature Veteran||veterans})"
								],
								[
									"10",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Commoner||commoners} who shouldn't be in the Upper City"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Table C: Upper City Threats",
							"colLabels": [
								"d10",
								"Threat"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Imp||imps} disguised as ravens"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"1 {@creature gargoyle} in the service of the Guild"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"{@dice 1d6} {@creature Giant Centipede||giant centipedes} from the sewers"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"{@dice 1d4} suits of {@creature animated armor} that escaped from the High House of Wonders"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"1 {@creature ochre jelly} in a sewer grate"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"Dead Three abduction squad (see the \"{@area More Dead Three Encounters|07c|x}\" sidebar)"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"Dead Three murder squad (see the \"{@area More Dead Three Encounters|07c|x}\" sidebar)"
								],
								[
									"8",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Doppelganger||doppelgangers}"
								],
								[
									"9",
									"1 serial killer ({@creature assassin}) wanted by the Watch"
								],
								[
									"10",
									"{@dice 2d4} {@creature kenku} muggers in league with the Guild"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Gates",
							"page": 176,
							"id": "37e",
							"entries": [
								"The Old Wall, built at Balduran's behest centuries ago, surrounds the Upper City. Six gates pierce it, channeling the district's visitors and commerce. Entering the Upper City requires either being a patriar, having a patriar's letter or livery, showing a Watch token issued to the Upper City's residents or licensed to its few inns for guest use, or paying an entry toll. Tokens and tolls are only accepted at Citadel Gate, Baldur's Gate, and the Black Dragon Gate, since the other gates are reserved for the exclusive use of patriars, their servants, and their guests.",
								"{@b Black Dragon Gate}. Named for the dragon's head that a victorious knight once hung upon its arch, the Black Dragon Gate faces the road heading north toward distant Waterdeep. The original dragon's head is long gone, but a stone replacement snarls above the gate's arch. Local legend claims that the stone head will magically spew acid at attackers if the city should ever fall under siege.",
								"{@b Citadel Gate}. The only entrance to the Watch's fortress, Citadel Gate nestles into the Upper City's landward wall. The Watch maintains a small cavalry, nominally for defense and crowd control, but primarily for parades, honor escorts, and other ceremonial functions. Because of this, the Citadel maintains the only stable within the city walls.",
								"{@b Patriar Gates}. The four gates known collectively as the patriar gates\u2014Gond Gate, Heap Gate, Manor Gate, and Sea Gate\u2014are smaller and are generally not accessible by the general public. They were built after the construction of the Lower City walls and were intended to offer patriars convenient access from their homes to their business concerns and back. Privately funded by the patriars, and thus serving as a display of their personal success, these gates are more ornate and tightly guarded than the public gates. Officially, none may use them without bearing a patriar's livery or letter of permission, although rumors persist that Guild kingpins and veteran servants among several patriar staffs know exactly which guards to bend. Regardless, the visible double standard imposed at these gates is a constant gall to Lower City residents forced to take longer routes through the public gates because they cannot use the ones in their own neighborhoods."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Neighborhoods",
							"page": 177,
							"id": "37f",
							"entries": [
								"While most outsiders see only rampant luxury among the Upper City's streets, the district's residents perceive a wide spectrum of style and status. Wealth and taste as much as location serve to divide the Upper City into a variety of distinct neighborhoods.",
								"{@b Citadel Streets}. The northern part of the Upper City is dominated by the Watch Citadel, where the Watch conducts training, maintains its barracks and stable, and keeps a few jail cells. Beyond the Citadel, this neighborhood includes many shops and the comparatively modest, though still grand, houses that belong to the few non-patriar residents of the Upper City.",
								"{@b Manorborn}. The most palatial residences lie on the Upper City's west side. Most of the Parliament of Peers live here, as do the old, proud families who trace their lineages back to Balduran's day. Climbing gardens, fountained courtyards, and private orchards adorn many of these elegant homes.",
								"{@b Temples}. Grand cathedrals and shrines shape the skyline in this central neighborhood, with Gond's High House of Wonders foremost among them. Priests in ceremonial finery and congregants dressed for the public eye are a common sight in this part of the city. Humbler petitioners are rare, though some come doggedly day after day, paying the tolls for hope each time.",
								"{@b The Wide}. The primary market and largest civic space in Baldur's Gate is the Wide, where sellers set up their stalls and put out their wares each day at dawn. Street music and noisy performances are forbidden, and every night the sellers who are not Upper City residents must pack up and leave. Bustling by day, the Wide is desolate at night, except on holidays and when hosting grand celebrations."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "The Old Wall",
							"page": 178,
							"id": "380",
							"entries": [
								"The original wall built during Balduran's day, which encloses the Upper City and separates it from the Lower City, occupies an outsize place in the city's history and imagination. As the original relic of the city's first borders\u2014and, more importantly for daily life, the physical embodiment of the division between patriars and ordinary citizens\u2014the Old Wall is a symbol for much that Baldurians both admire and resent about their city.",
								"Most of the Old Wall was rebuilt following revolts early in the city's history, then reinforced during every major period of tumult that troubled Baldur's Gate afterward. Each push for renewal saw a conflict between Gondan engineers advocating for new building techniques and materials, and patriars and preservationists striving to protect the original architecture. Meanwhile, smugglers and Guild agents bribed building crews, altered blueprints, and otherwise put their fingers in the plans at every turn to steer reinforcement efforts away from their own secret passageways or induce builders to make new ones.",
								"After centuries of such unreliable maintenance, the Old Wall stands proud and strong, but only outwardly so. In truth, the barrier is riddled with numerous secret holes through\u2014or, more often, underneath\u2014its stones. Knowledge of such secret passages' locations is jealously guarded, and the hidden ways are used only sparingly, for the risk of discovery is too great to use them routinely. Nevertheless, if the Old Wall were ever to be seriously tested, its defenders might find it far less impenetrable than it seems.",
								{
									"type": "inset",
									"name": "Green Lights in the Fog",
									"page": 178,
									"id": "381",
									"entries": [
										"Baldur's Gate has a couple interesting features not mentioned elsewhere in this gazetteer.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Fog",
											"page": 178,
											"id": "382",
											"entries": [
												"One of the reasons why pirates find Gray Harbor attractive is the thick fog that shrouds the river, the docks, and most of the Lower City. The persistent fog makes it easy to conduct illicit business or commit a murder without anyone catching sight of the \"interaction\" through a spyglass. The fog sometimes creeps into the Upper City as well, but here it's much too thin to veil crimes."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Green Lights",
											"page": 178,
											"id": "383",
											"entries": [
												"In Baldur's Gate, lit lanterns fitted with panes of green glass are hung outside of permanent establishments to indicate that they're open for business. On foggy nights, these lanterns cast the city's lively taverns, brothels, dance halls, and festhalls in eerie green light."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Patriar Manors",
							"page": 178,
							"id": "384",
							"entries": [
								"The great houses of the patriars are the wellspring of their pride and the center of high society. A manor stands as proof that the family held anchor in Baldur's Gate when the Old Wall was raised, and that its line has remained prosperous and unbroken since. Even on the rare occasion that a patriar manor changes hands entirely, the new owner generally goes to great lengths to prove\u2014or fabricate\u2014some connection, however tenuous, to the previous holder's line.",
								"Most patriar manors are townhomes rather than free-standing mansions, for the Upper City has always been constrained by its walls, and even the wealthiest families are limited to narrow footprints. In general, patriar manors have only small courtyard gardens, and rely on vertical arrangements such as espaliered fruit trees, trellised roses and wisteria, and vines trained along the house's walls.",
								"Because of the manors' storied pasts and small spaces, most manors are crowded with heirlooms and treasures accumulated across generations. Occasionally, however, a manor's grand facade hides destitution. Estates are expensive to maintain, and dynasties are prone to decline. Although no patriar would ever openly admit to lacking money, quite a few are hunting marriages with wealthy outsiders who might bring an influx of capital and ambition to their moribund lines."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Upper City Gazetteer",
							"page": 178,
							"id": "385",
							"entries": [
								"Despite its well-policed streets and decorous homes, the Upper City harbors secrets both marvelous and scandalous. Some of its most notable locales are described below in alphabetical order. These locations are also marked on the map of Baldur's Gate ({@adventure map 6.2|BGDIA|9|Map 6.2: Baldur's Gate}).",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Bormul House",
									"page": 178,
									"id": "386",
									"entries": [
										"Situated in the Manorborn neighborhood, Bormul House is an elegant three-story townhouse of yellow granite and slate with cream-colored roses climbing its garden walls. Last spring, a distant uncle came for a holiday visit, bringing a large load of baggage. The house servants acted strangely during his visit, though the Bormuls attributed this to a bout of shellfish poisoning that afflicted many households that spring. Days later, the uncle departed, leaving some of his curios behind. The Bormuls, lacking space to store these unwanted things in the manor, moved them to the family crypt beneath the house. There they lie now, largely forgotten.",
										"Not long after, shantytown residents in the Outer City began suffering brutal attacks by a silent murderer wearing an archaic, threadbare patriar's cloak. Many have glimpsed this pale killer, but no one has ever been able to confront or follow the murderer to his lair, for he seems to melt into the city's fog after each slaying."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Distant Shores",
									"page": 179,
									"id": "387",
									"entries": [
										"Tendai and Khennen Shore (chaotic good human {@creature Commoner||commoners}) are a married couple that runs a successful business importing dried meats, spices, authentic cookware, and traditional recipes from Port Nyanzaru, where the rest of Tendai's family lives. Their pre-mixed assortments of ajwain, coriander, ginger, various curries, and colored salts have done much to bring Chultan delicacies to patriar tables.",
										"Despite their success, the Shores' business is straight forward and unpretentious, attracting attention from business prospectors interested in buying the couple out and expanding the business. The Shores have no interest in selling, despite numerous offers from patriar families and anonymous buyers. As a result, in recent weeks Distant Shores has suffered vandalism and the owners have received threatening letters."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Eomane House",
									"page": 179,
									"id": "388",
									"entries": [
										"The four Eomane siblings are notorious throughout the Upper City for the scandalous masked revels hosted at their manor. Nysene Eomane, a lawful evil female human {@creature noble}, likes to extend invitations to hopeful social climbers from other districts, intending to trap them at her parties. Lacking Watch tokens, Nysene's guests face a night in the Citadel's cells or worse if they're caught in the Upper City after dark. They therefore have little choice but to let her and her friends make cruel sport of them until they can escape at daybreak. As yet, none of Nysene's playthings have suffered any real harm, but her games grow ever bolder and more vicious, and it's only a matter of time until someone is seriously hurt.",
										"While Nysene's siblings\u2014Dolandre, Rusorra, and Trenteller\u2014view this behavior as embarrassing and unworthy of her station, they also don't care enough to stop her, since the victims are social inferiors whose welfare isn't worth interrupting their own revels. It's also likely that her siblings are in denial about the true extent of their sister's sadism. Some of the city's evil faiths have begun to take notice of Nysene's games, however, with Bane's faith seeing a talent worth cultivating in Eomane House."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Hall of Wonders",
									"page": 179,
									"id": "389",
									"entries": [
										"This large, stately building serves as a quasi-religious museum for the magnificent inventions wrought in Gond's name. Unlike the similarly named High House of Wonders, which serves as both temple and workshop housing working prototypes not yet ready for public view, the Hall of Wonders is meant to showcase Gond's perfected inspirations. It holds marvels ranging from lockboxes cleverly disguised as ordinary furniture to unparalleled wonders such as a steam-operated mechanical orchestra, a steam \"dragon\" powering a heavy engine for moving immense weights, and elaborate orreries and nautical tools. Small cards posted beneath each display indicate the purpose of these curious tools and credit the inventors and lands of origin, where known.",
										"Persistent rumors hold that a hidden treasure vault, guarded by clockwork monsters, lies beneath the Hall of Wonders. These tales are true: beneath the grand altar in the Hall of Wonders is a complex pressure-plate system that opens a secret passageway leading beneath the temple. One can follow this path to a series of saferooms secured by mechanical devices. Some saferooms hold treasures of the faith, while others are rented to wealthy individuals who wish to keep their prizes under the highest possible security."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Harbreeze Bakery",
									"page": 179,
									"id": "38a",
									"entries": [
										"Famous for its whimsically painted cinnamon cookies and sugarbread loaves, the Harbreeze Bakery is a cherished neighborhood institution. The shop makes good use of the vibrant commerce that runs through Baldur's Gate, showcasing rare spices in its wares and keeping a wide selection of exotic teas for its sophisticated clientele. It is a favorite place for patriars to gossip through the afternoon, and Ellyn Harbreeze, the plump redheaded proprietor (a lawful neutral female human {@creature spy}), knows about every significant development in her clients' social circles. Anyone seeking society gossip is well advised to begin at the Harbreeze Bakery."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Helm and Cloak",
									"page": 179,
									"id": "38b",
									"entries": [
										"The Helm and Cloak draws an unusual mixture of well-heeled but unpretentious patriars, traveling nobles, famed bards, and socially ambitious Lower City residents hoping to rub shoulders with the elite. The inn is unfussy, but conducts its service with flawless technique and the finest ingredients: it serves roast chicken rather than peacocks or partridges, and the fish never have that distinctive Gray Harbor film.",
										"The establishment consists of two buildings joined as a single enterprise. The Helm is a rooming house with an entryway shadowed by an immense iron helm that supposedly belonged to a fire giant. The Cloak, slightly smaller, is signaled by the bright flutter of a Sunite cloak draped over its porch. Both buildings are decorated with adventuring trophies both exotic and mundane, including a bronze-horned marble unicorn bust in the Helm's common room. Its horn, which patrons often rub for good luck, is as shiny as the day it was made.",
										"The Helm and Cloak has long attracted idealistic sons and daughters from patriar families. For generations, these young romantics, taking the god Lurue as their inspiration, have called themselves the Knights of the Unicorn. Over time, what began as a light-hearted lark became a real force for good in the world, and several of the early knights achieved renown for their heroics. Today, the Knights of the Unicorn continue to call the Helm and Cloak their informal headquarters. The establishment is even run by two retired members, Vedren and Halesta (neutral good human {@creature Knight||knights}). The couple's presence shapes the inn's clientele significantly, and the unicorn bust in the Helm's common room honors their origins in this place."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "High Hall",
									"page": 180,
									"id": "38c",
									"entries": [
										"The High Hall is the center of almost all governmental activity in Baldur's Gate. The Parliament of Peers and the Council of Four meet here, and each of the four dukes has a sumptuous office and discreetly appointed meeting rooms. Criminal trials, tax counts, and professional guild meetings also take place in the High Hall.",
										"Most criminal trials are presided over by a proxy judge appointed by one of the four dukes, and most are resolved as a simple administrative matter that proceeds from arraignment to sentencing within minutes. Unless an impartial witness or evidence of questionable circumstances is brought to the court's attention, the word of a Flaming Fist or Watch officer suffices to convict, and the judge has only to stamp a seal on the paperwork that the guards have already prepared. This results in a certain degree of corruption, naturally, which is compounded by the proxy judge's near-absolute discretion in deciding whether to accept a conviction or exonerate a suspect. Bribery and influence-peddling run rife through the courts, where honest judges are rare and widely feared.",
										"In addition to hosting trials, the High Hall holds libraries containing all local laws and ordinances, summaries of judicial decisions and trial outcomes, deed records, guild charters, census tallies, and family genealogies for all the noble houses and sufficiently important commoners. The records go back to the city's founding, encompassing centuries of meticulously maintained documents. The libraries don't share a common index, and sorting through their overlapping and idiosyncratically organized holdings can be confusing, so most people opt to pay one of the resident librarians to locate what they need.",
										"Finally, the ground floor of the High Hall's easternmost wing contains a museum to the history of Baldur's Gate and a mausoleum for its many dukes and heroes. Statues of ancient notables, including Balduran himself, loom over caskets containing their dusty bones\u2014or, in Balduran's case, a glass casket containing all that lingers from the city's vanished founder: the age-cracked remnants of his cloak, longsword, shield, and favorite spyglass.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/116-2goeq-06-06.webp"
											},
											"width": 768,
											"height": 1000
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "High House of Wonders",
									"page": 180,
									"id": "38d",
									"entries": [
										"This vast workshop is the center of Gond's religion in Baldur's Gate. Every day, the anvils and worktables that fill the High House of Wonders ring with the clamor of hammer and saw. Under the scrutiny of the meticulous High Artificer Andar Beech, a neutral male human {@creature priest}, inventors work alongside priests and acolytes beside masters of all disciplines. Because the creations in these workshops are largely experimental prototypes, they are not deemed fit for public view.",
										"Gond's temple doesn't flourish in Baldur's Gate by simple happenstance. While there are certainly more industrious and academic cities along the Sword Coast, in few other places could Gond's faithful have access to more and rarer resources with less oversight. The city cares more about the clerics' innovations than the morality of those creations or how they came into being. Rumors claim that the High House of Wonders maintains a secret testing facility in or just outside the city.",
										"Ostensibly, Gond's priests offer healing and other magical services to anyone willing to pay. However, priests often prove so caught up with their projects that they're reticent to attend to any but those with the most novel wounds and provocative ailments."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Hhune House",
									"page": 180,
									"id": "38e",
									"entries": [
										"The power of the Hhunes waxes and wanes like the moon, but other patriar families maintain a healthy fear of them because the Hhunes have powerful connections up and down the Sword Coast that could make life difficult for would-be rivals.",
										"The elderly widow Lutecia Hhune, a lawful evil female human {@creature noble}, presides over this smallish manor. Lutecia has estranged siblings but no children, and faces the prospect of leaving her family home to a detested branch of the family when she dies. To prevent this, she has asked the librarians of the High Hall to search patriar genealogies for a more acceptable heir.",
										"Lutecia's request was assigned to a Guild-connected librarian named Virmele, a lawful evil female human {@creature spy} who is entertaining bribes from Lower City merchants and underworld figures to fabricate a link to the Hhune family. More than the patriar estate itself is at stake, for Lutecia's late husband was an avid map collector and antiquarian whose personal library holds many rarities from far-off lands. Should Lutecia be cheated out of finding a proper heir, it is likely that both her family's legacy and the secrets hidden in her late husband's collection will fall into unscrupulous hands. On the other hand, if Virmele's corruption were exposed, the Guild might be irritated at the loss of a profitable scheme.",
										"Lutecia's valet is Kaddrus, a {@creature cambion} that takes the form of a strikingly handsome man half her age. Kaddrus was sent by powerful nobles in Tethyr to protect the Hhune family's secrets, which include a connection to the Knights of the Shield, a secret society tied to the {@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}. This shield recently disappeared from the crypts under the Hhune estate, and Kaddrus is assisting efforts to get the shield back and punish those responsible for its theft. Lutecia is content to leave this task in his capable hands."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Lady's Hall",
									"page": 180,
									"id": "38f",
									"entries": [
										"Tymora's temple in Baldur's Gate is made of local yellow granite, roofed with slate shingles, and inconspicuously blended into the surrounding architecture. Recently added to the structure are beautiful mosaics depicting souls prevailing against ill fortune at sea.",
										"Other than holding formal religious observances\u2014which most of Tymora's faithful only attend on major holidays\u2014the primary purpose of the temple is to accept requests, and large donations, from petitioners seeking the temple's intercession. For countless reasons, Baldurians are reluctant to trust the Watch, the Flaming Fist, or the Guild. When they find it necessary to seek aid from an influential organization, such people often turn to Lady Luck for help. The Lady's Hall is there to hear their pleas, and to accept their offerings in exchange. While such intercession often takes the form of blessings, magical or otherwise, clergy moved by a tale of exceptional injustice might be swayed to petition the church elders to intercede. Such happens rarely, the church being unwilling to jeopardize its standing by pitting itself against every specific injustice laid at its doorstep. Yet, members of the clergy often anonymously reach out to the adventurers that congregate near their temple, sponsoring small acts of justice whenever they can."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Ramazith's Tower",
									"page": 182,
									"id": "390",
									"entries": [
										"Six stories high and built of weathered red brick in a cylindrical, pagoda-style structure, Ramazith's Tower is considered a unique landmark by some and a regrettable eyesore by others. It was built nearly a century ago by the eccentric wizard Ramazith, a sailor from faraway Durpar who acquired a vast knowledge of the deeps\u2014and equally vast wealth. Ramazith had not been known as either an exceptional mariner or an exceptional arcanist before he came into enough money to build his tower, and the source of his success remains a mystery.",
										"Not long after the tower was completed, Ramazith died under suspicious circumstances. Some say he met his end after an ill-fated dalliance with a nymph, but rumors have always persisted that his death was linked to his unlikely ascent. One version holds that the nymph exacted revenge for some terrible crime Ramazith committed against her people to gain his power, while another rumor suggests his soul was itself the price of his bargain. Whatever the truth, Ramazith's tower stood empty for decades before it was acquired a few years ago by Lorroakan, a young and short-tempered mage known for having expensive tastes and a perpetual shortage of funds. Lorroakan hails from the city of Athkatla to the south, and local gossip holds that he's a disgraced Cowled Wizard who may even be a fugitive from the powerful House Selemchant in Amn.",
										"Lorroakan, a neutral male human {@creature mage}, makes his living by enchanting clothes to repel moisture and mildew, a practical but humble pursuit that suggests his mastery of magic is not extensive. This, in turn, might explain why he has not reopened the tower's upper floors, confining his own activities to the first and a small portion of the second floor.",
										"Lorroakan's ever-pressing need for money has led the mage to begin looking for hired hands who might be willing to venture into the long-shuttered heights of Ramazith's tower and uncover the secret of the late wizard's wealth. That Ramazith's secret may have brought him to an untimely end, and that Lorroakan is himself no more skilled\u2014and perhaps significantly less so\u2014than the tower's previous master does not seem to concern him."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Rillyn House",
									"page": 182,
									"id": "391",
									"entries": [
										"Though one of the most honorable patriar families in Baldur's Gate, the Rillyns fell into poverty a few generations ago. Only recently have they revived their fortunes, the credit for their newfound prosperity going squarely to Yvandre Rillyn, a neutral female human {@creature veteran} who returned to Baldur's Gate after many years serving with the Flaming Fist and other mercenary companies\u2014a career that began in rebellion against her stodgy family.",
										"Realizing that her family needed a long term source of financial support, Yvandre opened a sword-wielding school in a guest house adjoining her family's estate. The Rillyn School is about to graduate its first class of students, all of whom have trained with Yvandre for at least five years and have won her approval with their skill. As Yvandre is a hard teacher, this is an impressive feat, and her students are justly proud. She hopes that they'll spread her name throughout the region and win acclaim for the school. In the meantime, she continues to enroll young students, keeping those with promise and weeding out the rest. Some of those who failed to make the cut, embittered by their perceived humiliation, nurse grudges against Yvandre and her house."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Three Old Kegs",
									"page": 182,
									"id": "392",
									"entries": [
										"Named for its sign, three lashed-together barrels hanging from a pole, the Three Old Kegs is popular with current and retired members of the Flaming Fist. It serves simple and hearty meals, keeps a variety of good-quality but inexpensive wines and beers, and tolerates no rowdiness among its clientele. Rooms are available for both short- and long-term stays, and the Three Old Kegs offers laundry, mending, repair, and sharpening services to its guests. Its reasonable prices and welcoming atmosphere have led several retired Flaming Fist mercenaries to adopt the place as a full-time residence. These long-term regulars act as additional security, making the Three Old Kegs one of the safest places for visitors to stay in Baldur's Gate.",
										"The proprietors, three wart-covered brothers in their late fifties known collectively as the \"Three Old Toads,\" are named Alstan, Brunkhum, and Klalbrot Wintersides\u2014all neutral good male human {@creature Commoner||commoners}. The Three Old Toads are known to be soft touches for a sob story. All the cooks and servers at the Three Old Kegs are Flaming Fist widows and orphans, and the tavern regularly hosts fundraisers for the families of those crippled or killed in service. However, the brothers' kindness is not matched by their discernment, and the Three Old Toads frequently fall victim to grifters. Several times, these con artists have stolen enough money to threaten the Three Old Kegs with bankruptcy, and the brothers have been forced to find outside help to recover their lost funds and keep the tavern solvent."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Undercellar",
									"page": 182,
									"id": "393",
									"entries": [
										"Beneath the Wide is a maze of storage chambers, ale cellars, and cobwebbed tunnels known collectively as the Undercellar. Archways, many with iron-barred gates and rusty but functional locks, connect one cobbled chamber to the next. Some tunnels ascend to street-level buildings, while others open through grates and sewer covers to the streets themselves. At least two dozen ways into and out of the Undercellar exist, although only a few are widely known, and some are deliberately kept secret.",
										"Most Baldurians know of the Undercellar as a seedy speakeasy and brothel. The Watch and the Flaming Fist never police the Undercellar, leaving it to a gang of masked toughs who call themselves the Cellarers to enforce order. This near-total absence of the law makes the Undercellar a popular place of business for unsavory characters who would never risk being caught in the Upper City otherwise. Their \"indulgence rooms\" offer gambling, prostitution, exotic intoxicants, and pit fights between animals\u2014such as giant sewer rats pitted against dog-sized spiders. Most ordinary citizens who venture into the Undercellar for a taste of danger keep to these areas.",
										"However, those in search of more serious danger can generally find it. Several gray and black marketeers hold heavily reinforced, Guild-approved secure rooms in the Undercellar, from which they deal in weapons, illicit disguises, counterfeit Watch tokens, rare poisons, and other contraband. Access to these dealers requires Guild approval or significant bribes to the Cellarers.",
										"In addition to harboring illicit businesses, the Undercellar is rumored to run throughout much of the Upper City. Its secret tunnels wind beneath numerous patriar manors, banks, businesses, and even the High Hall itself, connecting through false walls in wine cellars and basements throughout the district. Some of the walls are supposedly thin enough for an eavesdropper to overhear all manner of sensitive plans and scandalous liaisons.",
										"A gaunt, bearded man named Heltur \"Ribbons\" Ribbond, a neutral evil male human {@creature assassin}, rules the Undercellar with an oily, too-affable manner and a wide grin that only makes his scar-seamed face more menacing. Ribbons has never been seen to lose his temper, even when hurling knives and bottles with deadly accuracy at unruly guests. It's taken as an article of faith that he must be a kingpin or otherwise high-placed within the Guild."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Unrolling Scroll",
									"page": 183,
									"id": "394",
									"entries": [
										"Built of white marble, with an arched roof of vibrant red edged in gold leaf, the temple of Oghma stands out among the surrounding buildings. A wide reflecting pool rests in a deep basin under its roof, which is built with exceptional acoustics so that a speaker's words project clearly and effortlessly across the assembled audience. This has made the shrine a popular place for weddings, dedication ceremonies, and other oaths.",
										"Legend holds that bards and artists who study their own reflections in the basin for half a day, opening their minds to Oghma's will as they do, behold a vision to inspire their next creation. The reflective period can be dawn to dusk, midnight to midday, or any other period. As the Unrolling Scroll stands in the Upper City, though, non-residents of the district are evicted after sundown."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Vanthampur Villa",
									"page": 183,
									"id": "395",
									"entries": [
										"Duke Vanthampur can't stand the rank gossip that hangs in the air of the Manorborn neighborhood. Thus, her estate lies in the Temples neighborhood of the Upper City, as far away from the other patriars as one can get while still being visible to them. For more information on this estate, see {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Watch Citadel",
									"page": 183,
									"id": "396",
									"entries": [
										"The Upper City's guard force uses the Watch Citadel as training grounds, barracks, and organizational offices. A stable holds the Watch's warhorses, while a few jail cells can host ordinary prisoners awaiting transport to trials in the High Hall or prison in the Seatower of Balduran.",
										"High Constable and Master of Walls Osmurl Havanack, a lawful neutral male shield dwarf {@creature veteran} with a deep loyalty to his constables and no taste for city politics, functions as the Watch Citadel's castellan. Havanack ensures that the Citadel is provisioned, that pay is correctly disbursed by the purse master, and that the Citadel and Old Wall are properly maintained. He also disciplines Watch soldiers accused of misdeeds\u2014accusations that he takes very seriously and does his best to investigate. High Constable Havanack is known to have no tolerance for misconduct in his ranks, but he is only one person, and much escapes his notice.",
										"From the Citadel, the Watch runs regular patrols through the Upper City and staffs the Old Wall, day and night. Many Watch officers are patriars themselves, hailing from families with a long and proud tradition of service to Baldur's Gate. As most live in the Upper City, members of the Watch are familiar with the city's patriars and possess a well-developed ability to spot pretenders. Many Watch members interact with citizens from the other districts only at the gates, and then usually under tense and stressful circumstances that foster jaundiced views.",
										"Because few of its members have ever lived outside their privileged walls, the Watch tends to be blind to the day-to-day hardships of life outside the Upper City. Watch soldiers can be suspicious if not outright contemptuous of those whose lower-class mannerisms mark them as \"of poor breeding.\" While most officers attempt to enforce a code of civility toward all Baldurians, a current of antipathy toward the poor runs deep through the Watch, though it more often manifests as condescension than outright hostility. Absent unusual circumstances, the Watch always gives the benefit of the doubt to a patriar or Upper City resident, and never takes an Outer City denizen's word over anyone else's."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Watchful Shield",
									"page": 183,
									"id": "397",
									"entries": [
										"Helm's shrine in Baldur's Gate consists of a small chapel flanked by wings at its door and a vigilant eye inscribed in silver above the lintel. The chapel's services are regularly attended by Watch members, Flaming Fist soldiers, bodyguards, and anyone else who feels the weight of responsibility to protect others.",
										"When called upon by the Watch or the Flaming Fist, Helm's clergy aids in maintaining the city's walls and turning back those who would storm its gates. Although the God of Guardians and his faithful carry out their duties impartially and without concern for the city's politics, this role has nevertheless earned them considerable resentment in the Outer City.",
										"Helm's clerics provide healing to any willing to make a donation in gold or arms. They uphold a long-standing tradition of waving this donation for those who suffer grievous wounds in the course of defending other. This leads to all manner of unlikely stories being told at the Watchful Shield's gates, explaining how roughed-up brawlers or Guild cutthroats actually suffered their wounds performing heroic acts."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "The Wide",
									"page": 184,
									"id": "398",
									"entries": [
										"By law, all commercial buying and selling not done in a licensed and taxed establishment must be conducted in the Wide, the city's most prominent civic space and public market. Every morning sees an influx of vendors setting up their stalls and taking deliveries from a small army of porters. Every sunset, vendors cart their unsold wares back out, or pay exorbitantly expensive warehouse storage fees.",
										"In the hours between, the Wide hosts a vibrant, crowded market where fortune-tellers and con artists sit beside dealers hawking spices, fish, furs, perfumes, and every other luxury good to be found across the continent and beyond. Despite its crowds, the Wide is well regulated, the Watch keeping a sharp eye out for pickpockets. Street musicians are forbidden on pain of heavy fines and expulsion from the market, so the Wide proves more subdued than the chaotic markets of the Outer City. Quiet performers, such as puppeteers and sleight-of-hand tricksters, are common.",
										"Jedren Hiller, the Bailiff of the Wide, is a lawful evil male human {@creature bandit} who assigns stall placements to merchants each morning. Longtime regulars and merchants who reside in the Upper City get most of the prime placements, while those who are less established\u2014or stingy with Hiller's expected bribes\u2014get undesirable places in the less trafficked corners. The bailiff's corruption is legendary in Baldur's Gate, but few merchants see any alternative to greasing his palms, particularly as the profits from a good day's trade vastly outweigh the losses.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Statue of Minsc and Boo",
											"page": 184,
											"id": "399",
											"entries": [
												"For years the Wide hosted one of the city's most cherished landmarks: the Beloved Ranger, a statue of a powerful warrior in plate mail wearing a cheerful grin and cradling a hamster in his hands. Recently, though, the statue was revealed to be the Rashemi hero, Minsc, and his \"miniature giant space hamster\" companion, Boo, trapped under the effects of petrifying magic. When the magic was dispelled, it freed the heroes to walk the world once more but robbed the Wide of a bit of its charm. The merchants complained loudly, and a replacement statue of Minsc and Boo was promptly commissioned and set atop the pedestal where the actual heroes stood for years."
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Lower City",
					"page": 184,
					"id": "39a",
					"entries": [
						"A crescent of steeply sloping neighborhoods plays home to the common folk of Baldur's Gate. The Lower City is a chaotic tangle of conjoined, slate-roofed buildings, its narrow cobblestone thoroughfares spanned by bridges and buttresses designed to keep overflowing tenements from tumbling into the streets. As cramped and noisy as the Lower City can be during the day, bustling with business from a thousand shops, the district turns eerily quiet at night. Though lit by street lamps and traversed by hired lantern bearers, the darkened streets are far from safe, and those citizens not running taverns or other late-night establishments tend to lock their doors and bar their colorful window shutters as the river's dense fog rolls in.",
						"Nearly everyone in the Lower City is engaged in some sort of trade. Crime of all sorts is rampant, from petty smuggling to outright robbery and murder. Though the city government tries to curtail this by paying the Flaming Fist to patrol the streets, the mercenaries sometimes seem more like an occupying army than a true police force, better suited to indiscriminate head-cracking than delicate investigation. As such, while most residents are happy to shout for the Fist when beset by obvious criminals, they also band together into local crews to better watch each other's backs and settle more subtle scores. In such an environment, laws are often treated as suggestions, and while most residents are just ordinary folks trying to get by, there's truth to the old adage that everyone in Baldur's Gate has a secret to keep.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Gates",
							"page": 184,
							"id": "39b",
							"entries": [
								"The three gates of the Lower City are ripe with logistical, historical, and metaphorical significance. Though tokens are not required to pass through the gates connecting with the Outer City, using any gate comes with a 5 cp entry toll and erratic investigation of cargo and suspicious individuals.",
								"{@b Baldur's Gate}. The oldest and least impressive of the city's gates, Baldur's Gate nevertheless remains the city's heart. As the only gate allowing ordinary people through the Old Wall, Baldur's Gate embodies the power imbalance between rich Upper City patriars and Lower City commoners. Once the sole gate leading to the harbor, it's still the primary route by which the city's wealth flows from port to patriar.",
								"{@b Basilisk Gate}. Piercing the city's eastern wall, this statue-lined gate connects the Lower City to the great Coast Way, stretching through the majority of the Outer City and then southeast toward Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan.",
								"{@b Cliffgate}. This foggy minor gate grants access to the Tumbledown neighborhood and its graveyards. Many stories claim that Cliffgate is haunted by the spirits of former citizens seeking reentry to the city and passage back to their homes, but locals know that any mysterious disappearances are more likely the result of a quick mugging and a long fall to the river below."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Neighborhoods",
							"page": 184,
							"id": "39c",
							"entries": [
								"General wealth, predominant profession, and traditions divide the Lower City into several neighborhoods. These divisions foster stereotypes and rivalries between city residents, some comical, some age-old insults that can quickly turn violent.",
								"{@b Bloomridge}. The wealthiest and most fashionable Lower City residents gravitate toward the commanding views of Bloomridge, where townhouses squeeze in among upscale boutiques and cafes, their rooftop gardens and tiled terraces creating explosions of cheerful color.",
								"{@b Brampton}. The easternmost Lower City neighborhood, Brampton is notoriously poor, its location making it the worst for residents seeking to serve Upper City denizens\u2014but the best for smuggling in untaxed goods from Rivington.",
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/117-z1ykj-06-07.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 651
								},
								"{@b Eastway}. Home to the Basilisk Gate, Eastway is the city's primary gateway to the Outer City and the world beyond, catering to travelers with its profusion of inns, porters, and caravan supplies, as well as to Outer City residents looking for reasonably priced Lower City luxuries. The flow of travelers and strangers through this neighborhood makes it one of the most dangerous parts of the city, as criminals prey on those unfamiliar with the city and without local ties to avenge them.",
								"{@b Heapside}. A solidly middle-class neighborhood, Heapside has its share of shops but tends to be more residential, catering to the city's workforce with ancient but reasonably priced homes and only a moderate likelihood of being stabbed in the street.",
								"{@b Seatower}. Everything in this neighborhood revolves around the {@area Seatower of Balduran|3ae|x}. The best armorers and weaponsmiths in the city can be found here, along with residences for Fist mercenaries and their families. Dance halls, fighting dens, taverns, and other delights jockey for position near the fortress's causeway, hoping to be the first place a carousing mercenary stumbles into, and each Flaming Fist payday sees the neighborhood swell into the most boisterous corner of the city as soldiers celebrate with riotous good cheer and flagrant street brawls.",
								"{@b The Steeps}. As the most direct route from the harbor to the Upper City via Baldur's Gate, the Steeps has a natural advantage in securing business from wealthy travelers, and many of the city's most successful merchants maintain lucrative storefronts along its dramatically steep thoroughfares. This also makes it the Lower City neighborhood most likely to be visited by patriars, and thus the Steeps sees more than its fair share of patrols by the Flaming Fist."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Crew Territories",
							"page": 185,
							"id": "39d",
							"entries": [
								"The fact that city's numerous crews can be based on both geographical and professional communities means that their territories often overlap or stretch beyond the borders of any particular neighborhood. The Harborhands, for instance, can be found across the Lower City wherever a neighborhood touches the water, but would rarely try to flex its claim outside of the actual docks and piers. More common is the situation of groups like the Greengrocers' Guild or the Brethren of Barbers, who operate out of all corners of the city and therefore claim no physical territory at all, banding together only in the interests of their trade. For many such crews, there's often no need for a formal meeting place\u2014they meet whenever and wherever necessary, in shop stockrooms or around kitchen tables, and have little interest in banners and sigils.",
								"Still, there's no denying that certain crews dominate certain corners of the city. Sometimes this is the result of a community forming its own crew in a direct attempt to control and protect its neighborhood. Such is the case with the Bloomridge Dandies, wealthy merchant scions who loudly proclaim that the Flaming Fist isn't doing enough to protect their neighborhood, and who relish the opportunity to display their bravery by patrolling neighborhood taverns wearing expensive swords and purple armbands. More often, physical territory is the result of a citywide crew having a natural local nexus, such as the Porters' Union and the Butchers' Block tending to dominate Eastway, as their members congregate near the Basilisk Gate for easy access to the stockyards and incoming caravans.",
								"Unless there's active conflict between two crews, most members are content to work with members of other crews, and see little point in staking out physical turf. After all, a neighborhood needs many different professions to thrive\u2014carpenters and cooks, grocers and apothecaries\u2014and the fact that siblings and spouses often belong to different crews helps keep inter-crew conflict to a minimum.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Lower City Random Encounters",
									"colLabels": [
										"d20",
										"Encounter"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1\u20136",
											"No encounter"
										],
										[
											"7\u201310",
											"Harmless interaction (roll on {@adventure table D|BGDIA|9|Table D: Lower City Harmless Interactions})"
										],
										[
											"11\u201316",
											"Denizens (roll on {@adventure table E|BGDIA|9|Table E: Lower City Denizens})"
										],
										[
											"17\u201320",
											"Threat (roll on {@adventure table F|BGDIA|9|Table F: Lower City Threats})"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Table D: Lower City Harmless Interactions",
									"colLabels": [
										"d12",
										"Interaction"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"A band of crew members with purple armbands and fabulous eye makeup\u2014the Bloomridge Dandies\u2014stop the party to tell the characters they're watching them and to keep their noses clean."
										],
										[
											"2",
											"A reporter from Baldur's Mouth waves the party over, hoping they'll help her get information for a story about some outrageous conspiracy."
										],
										[
											"3",
											"A man offers to sell the party a glass eye. Later, a drunk stumbles away from the Blushing Mermaid tavern, searching every gutter for his missing eye."
										],
										[
											"4",
											"An undertaker from Candulhallow's Arrangements approaches and asks if the party has considered undeath insurance, ominously warning about liabilities should their corpses commit post-death damages."
										],
										[
											"5",
											"Scalm Shilvin of Eastway Expeditions mocks a party member's armor. She offers to apply \"raptor repellent\" at the discounted price of 10 gp."
										],
										[
											"6",
											"A man with a dreadful fear of rats races down the street and slams into the party, having witnessed a bunch of rats feeding on a corpse in an alley."
										],
										[
											"7",
											"The druid Torimesh offers one party member a strange symbol stained on a piece of bark. He tells the party that the Drawing Tree in Insight Park sent it as a message."
										],
										[
											"8",
											"The city's sketchiest tea enthusiast invites the party into Jopalin's for a free cup of the café's special blend."
										],
										[
											"9",
											"A rough-and-tumble woman gets chummy with the party and tells characters that Laraelra Thundreth is hiring bouncers at the Low Lantern."
										],
										[
											"10",
											"A winding crack in the street shrieks when a specific party member steps on it. The crack runs for blocks, tracing back to Mandorcai's Mansion."
										],
										[
											"11",
											"Two drunk sailors invite the characters to join them in singing a well-known shanty called {@i Really Big Oysters}, but quickly forget the words and stumble away."
										],
										[
											"12",
											"A reeking, damp \"druid\" flees from the direction of the Sewer Keep. If stopped, the panicked man claims \"Something hatched in the yuck!\""
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Table E: Lower City Denizens",
									"colLabels": [
										"d10",
										"Denizens"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"{@dice 2d6} gang members or pirates (both {@creature Thug||thugs})"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@dice 1d4 + 1} crass merchants ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"{@dice 1d6} {@creature kenku} minding their own business"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"{@dice 3d6} angry crew members ({@creature Commoner||commoners}) protesting the Flaming Fist's brutality"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"{@dice 2d4} Flaming Fist soldiers ({@creature Veteran||veterans}) on patrol"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"{@dice 1d4} Guild pickpockets ({@creature Spy||spies})"
										],
										[
											"7",
											"{@dice 1d8} beggars ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
										],
										[
											"8",
											"1 Baldur's Mouth reporter ({@creature commoner})"
										],
										[
											"9",
											"{@dice 1d4} patriars ({@creature Noble||nobles}) and {@dice 3d6} bodyguards ({@creature Thug||thugs})"
										],
										[
											"10",
											"1 Guild kingpin ({@creature bandit captain}) and {@dice 2d6} operatives ({@creature Bandit||bandits})"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Table F: Lower City Threats",
									"colLabels": [
										"d10",
										"Threat"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Swarm of Rats||swarms of rats}"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@condition invisible} {@creature Imp||imps}"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Dead Three abduction squad (see the \"{@area More Dead Three Encounters|07c|x}\" sidebar)"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Dead Three murder squad (see the \"{@area More Dead Three Encounters|07c|x}\" sidebar)"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"Press gang of {@dice 1d4 + 1} {@creature Half-Ogre (Ogrillon)||half-ogres}"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"{@dice 1d6} Guild operatives ({@creature Spy||spies})"
										],
										[
											"7",
											"{@dice 2d4} street brawlers ({@creature Thug||thugs})"
										],
										[
											"8",
											"{@dice 1d6} Flaming Fist mercenaries ({@creature Veteran||veterans}) who don't like the look of adventurers"
										],
										[
											"9",
											"1 {@creature ghost} from Harborside Hospital"
										],
										[
											"10",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Mimic||mimics} posing as cargo"
										]
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Lower City Gazetteer",
							"page": 186,
							"id": "39e",
							"entries": [
								"Presented below in alphabetical order are some of the most noteworthy Lower City locations. These locations are also marked on the city map ({@adventure map 6.2|BGDIA|9|Map 6.2: Baldur's Gate}).",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Baldur's Mouth",
									"page": 186,
									"id": "39f",
									"entries": [
										"Patronized by all levels of society, Baldur's Mouth is the city's primary news service and gossip rag. Utilizing a small army of lantern bearers, the Mouth spreads news both by selling broadsheets on street corners and by shouting summaries of top stories at passersby. From the slums of the Outer City to the finest manor house sitting rooms, the Mouth is where Baldurians go to be informed, incited, and pleasantly scandalized. While some of the news\u2014such as word of new laws passed by the Council of Four or official election results\u2014is handed down directly by the government, most comes from freelance journalists, and official pronouncements often sit side by side with scathing editorials or unflattering political cartoons of those same officials.",
										"Ettvard Needle, a chaotic good male human {@creature commoner}, runs the operation from a surprisingly modest converted warehouse in Heapside. The son of an established Lower City tailor, he had always rankled at the way Lower City residents were treated by haughty patriars, and started Baldur's Mouth as a way to empower the city's poor via what he saw as the greatest weapon of social change: information. In the beginning, he simply paid local lantern bearers to shout his stories of upper-crust injustices, but as enthusiasm for the practice built and more people began bringing him information, he began writing the stories down for his distributors\u2014teaching many of them to read in the process\u2014and then selling the notes directly. Today, Needle prints his broadsheets by the cartload, aided by mechanical scribes purchased from the Hall of Wonders and funded by advertisements from merchants across the city.",
										"Though beholden to advertisers and tacitly sanctioned by the city government, the Mouth has never lost its populist bent. Needle carefully ensures that the paper is useful enough to the government that it's never in their interest to shut it down, yet devotes the rest of the paper to news the government might prefer hushed up, from aristocratic scandal and evidence of corruption to straight talk about various threats to the city, always with a healthy dose of anti-elite rhetoric. His editorials have a particular soft spot for his friend {@creature Rilsa Rael|BGDIA}, the Guild kingpin of Little Calimshan. While Needle loathes the Guild, he sees in Rilsa's egalitarian tendencies the potential for a hero of the people, and naively hopes she'll transform the Guild from a predatory criminal organization into a community police force serving the city's downtrodden.",
										"Baldur's Mouth is a prime source of opportunity for adventurers in the city, as Needle is always looking to hire daring \"investigative reporters\" willing to investigate rumors of strange happenings or procure proof of corruption by the city's elite. Even just reading the broadsheet can present adventure opportunities via advertisements recruiting mercenaries, half-substantiated reports of monster attacks ignored by the Flaming Fist, and more. And of course, should adventurers succeed or fail in some high-profile venture, they might just find caricatures of themselves and stories of their exploits in the Mouth's latest edition."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Blade and Stars",
									"page": 187,
									"id": "3a0",
									"entries": [
										"This comfortable inn was named for its original sign, an enchanted wooden shield. Painted black, the circular shield displayed an image of a curved silver saber gripped by a pale, slender arm. An enchantment on the shield caused glimmering, starlike motes of light to sparkle along the saber's blade. The former innkeeper of the Blade and Stars, a chaotic neutral half-orc {@creature bandit} named Aurayaun, used to insist that the illusory effect was the shield's only magic, and that it did exactly what she intended it to do: draw in business.",
										"Still, it appears that there's more to the shield's story, for recently both Aurayaun and the shield disappeared. Since then, Aurayaun's worried wife Lupin, a chaotic good female human {@creature commoner}, has been running the inn and loudly expressing her belief that the disappearance is the result of foul play. What kind of foul play, she has no idea.",
										"While Aurayaun was quiet about her past, she had no enemies that Lupin knew about. Lupin furiously rejects the Flaming Fist's conclusion that her wife simply abandoned her. A local vagrant claims to have seen Aurayaun climb up and remove the sign-shield late on the night she went missing, then vanish into an alley with a cloaked figure. Since then, though, Lupin has received parcels containing pieces of the shattered shield, each bearing a tiny constellation upon it. Lupin is convinced it's a map, but to where, and whether that destination is terrestrial or the heavens she doesn't know. She's willing to pay to find out, though."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Blushing Mermaid",
									"page": 187,
									"id": "3a1",
									"entries": [
										"Infamous up and down the Sword Coast, the Blushing Mermaid is known as the best tavern and inn in Baldur's Gate for those looking to get their teeth kicked in, or to kick in someone else's. Always one spilled drink away from a brawl, the bar is the sort of place most don't visit unless they're well-armed or with a lot of friends\u2014preferably both. The place takes its name from the life-sized wooden mermaid hanging above the incongruous reception desk, a dozen blackened and withered hands nailed to its body\u2014souvenirs left by those who refused to pay their bill.",
										"Beyond the combination lobby and common room, the Blushing Mermaid is a confusing maze of wings and oddly interconnected floors, hiding dozens of small and shabby rooms and at least four levels of cellars. Few people bother to sleep at the Mermaid, due in part to its operators' loud pronouncement that they aren't responsible for any losses, including those of life and limb. Instead, its plethora of back rooms and antechambers act as de facto offices for the menagerie of shady characters who spend their days drinking here. Ostensibly retired sailors, the bar's regulars are in fact contacts for a variety of unsavory organizations, from smugglers and bandits to fences, drug dealers, and panderers. Some work for the Guild, others for operations all along the Sword Coast. Those looking to do business with the Gate's underworld find that a handful of silver in the Mermaid can open doors, but the wrong word can find you dumped {@condition unconscious} in the alley out back. While the Mermaid's criminal aspects are an open secret, the place is well connected enough that the Flaming Fist traditionally leaves it alone."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Candulhallow's Funeral Arrangements",
									"page": 187,
									"id": "3a2",
									"entries": [
										"For as long as anyone can remember, the moon elves of the Candulhallow family have managed the city's small fleet of corpse carts. Though family members rarely push carts themselves anymore, their terse agents are a constant sight around the city, picking up the dead and using hand-drawn wagons to haul their shrouded loads to the Shrine of the Suffering or outlying cemeteries, funded by city stipends and tips from grieving loved ones.",
										"In secret, the Candulhallows have grown quietly rich off a variety of death-related scams. Chief among these is a secret smuggling arrangement with {@creature Nine-Fingers Keene|BGDIA} to conceal contraband in corpses' funeral wrappings, which the guards and toll collectors never check. Even less savory is the harvesting and sale of corpses or their parts for the city's cultists and necromancers. Chief among these latter customers is the family matriarch, Leylenna Candulhallow, a neutral evil female moon elf {@creature mage} who takes the choicest and rarest of the deceased for her experiments, replacing them with pauper's corpses and weighted coffins. Should any of the family's misdealing come to light, it would doubtlessly shock the city to the core and potentially force Leylenna to reveal the elaborate necromantic masterpiece\u2014an evolution of both art and life\u2014that she's been slowly patching together for months in her basement."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Counting House",
									"page": 188,
									"id": "3a3",
									"entries": [
										"This thick-walled fortress of commerce has been a center of trade in Baldur's Gate for centuries, acting as the primary location for banking and currency exchange.",
										"As much a bunker as a bank, the Counting House squats on the waterfront, its two windowless upper stories heavily guarded. Most ordinary patrons never make it past the ground-level offices, yet the majority of the Counting House stretches below, extending down into the mud like a cylindrical stone taproot. Here are the building's legendary vaults, where the city's patriars and merchants from across the world store items too valuable to be trusted to lesser security. Only the most vetted of humanoid guards are allowed in the Counting House's depths. Instead, {@creature Stone Golem||stone golems} patrol the twisting lower corridors, while {@creature Water Elemental||water elementals} circle the outside in flooded channels, keeping thieves from tunneling into the magically warded vaults.",
										"A lawful evil gold dwarf named Rakath Glitterbeard ({@creature bandit captain}) acts as the bank's proprietor and key treasurer of the city's banking crew, the Honorable Order of Moneylenders. More importantly, he's also the Guild kingpin for the Steeps, controlling the lesser loan sharks and knee-cappers who cater to the city's more desperate credit risks, along with its outright thieves. Stolen treasures from innumerable heists reside in the Counting House's vaults alongside legitimate deposits, protected by the bank's walls and Rakath's web of political influence and predatory loans. Between the dwarf's sinister reputation and the bank's legendary security, few thieves would even contemplate trying to crack the Counting House\u2014but anyone who succeeded would likely be set for life."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Eastway Expeditions",
									"page": 188,
									"id": "3a4",
									"entries": [
										"Eastway Expeditions used to buy dubious exploration and dungeon-delving gear on the cheap\u2014often from hollow-eyed early retirees\u2014before marking it up to sell to optimistic would-be heroes. Scalm Shilvin, a neutral female tiefling {@creature spy}, is the shop's slick, tail-coat-wearing tiefling proprietor. She made a decent living from her business, but all that changed when Baldur's Gate forged a lucrative trade alliance with the merchant princes of Port Nyanzaru in Chult.",
										"Shilvin quickly capitalized on the growing interest in Chult, outfitting droves of green adventurers and directing them aboard ships headed south. Most never returned\u2014leaving her uncertain of whether any of her \"jungle-proof\" or \"dinosaur-deterring\" equipment worked as she'd marketed. Eventually the local government got involved after several overly ambitious patriar scions vanished on ventures hastily outfitted by Eastway Expeditions. Now Shilvin can sell her modest selection of goods and any jungle-related gear only after a ten-day waiting period, helping to ensure that fewer citizens rush off to Chult unprepared. To make up for the resulting loss of business, Shilvin has made connections with several trading (and piratical) ventures in regular need of crew. Eastway Expeditions has since gained a lowkey reputation for helping people get out of the city fast, so long as they don't care overly much where they go."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Elfsong Tavern",
									"page": 188,
									"id": "3a5",
									"entries": [
										"Despite its rough-and-tumble clientele, this tavern is one of the most popular in Baldur's Gate. At infrequent and seemingly random intervals, a disembodied elven voice cuts through the crowd, its song haunting enough to magically dim the room's lanterns and make even the bar's most hardened customers weep.",
										"For more information about this establishment, see {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Felogyr's Fireworks",
									"page": 188,
									"id": "3a6",
									"entries": [
										"This four-story stone structure constantly streams smoke of unusual colors from various vents and chimneys. From the elaborate showroom spanning the bottom two floors, alchemist Avery Sonshal (neutral male human {@creature mage}) maintains his family's longstanding monopoly on {@item smokepowder|WDH} production in Baldur's Gate.",
										"While {@item smokepowder|WDH} is reserved for the Council of Four and Gond's High House of Wonders, the shop sells a variety of lesser alchemical items to the public, from torches with colored flames to smoke grenades and fireworks, some of them enhanced with harmless illusions. While the windowless workshop filling the building's upper two stories is strictly off-limits, its stairwell blocked by a massive iron vault door and a {@creature thug} hired from the Bannerless Legion, the mutton-chopped Avery is usually happy to chat with customers and other alchemical enthusiasts on the lower floors.",
										"At the moment, however, Avery is visibly troubled. Recently, someone managed to break into the upper workshop while he was sleeping and steal four kegs of {@item smokepowder|WDH}. In their place, he found a drawing of a phoenix. Avery is terrified of what the thieves might do with the powder\u2014he's all too aware that someone with that much {@item smokepowder|WDH} could blow up a portion of the High Hall, Wyrm's Rock, or any number of other fortifications. Yet as horrifying as he finds those possibilities, he seems more concerned about himself: {@item smokepowder|WDH} security is his responsibility, and he can't tell the city government about the theft without getting punished for negligence. Yet if he keeps quiet and the thieves use the powder, he'll obviously be implicated. The only solution is to hire someone discreet and trustworthy to track down and recover the missing kegs of {@item smokepowder|WDH} before it's too late.",
										"If {@item smokepowder|WDH} is set on fire, dropped, or otherwise handled roughly, it explodes and deals fire damage to each creature or object within 20 feet of it: {@dice 1d6} for a handful, {@dice 9d6} for a keg. A successful DC 12 Dexterity saving throw halves the damage. Casting {@spell dispel magic} on {@item smokepowder|WDH} renders it permanently inert."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Garmult's House of Mastery",
									"page": 189,
									"id": "3a7",
									"entries": [
										"Part school and part alehouse, this wide three-story building leans precariously over the street in Eastway. Run by an old, agender martial artist named Garmult (neutral good human {@creature gladiator}), the House of Mastery offers both martial training of all sorts for the city's would-be warriors and a central hangout for the Bannerless Legion crew. Garmult assists crew leader Dezri \"Guts\" Lamouer in matching clients with mercenaries. They also hire members to teach classes in the building's open-air atrium while other members lounge on the overlooking balconies. At any given time, there's usually multiple veteran mercenaries here swapping stories and waiting for contracts.",
										"While anyone can pay Garmult to study in the House of Mastery, only those who've earned membership in the Bannerless Legion are welcome to socialize and find work here. Those who come around looking for such things are challenged to a friendly sparring match in the atrium, usually with Garmult. If they impress Garmult, they're welcomed with a laugh and a firm handshake, at which point Garmult is happy to hook the new members up with bodyguarding contracts and other work, taking only a nominal finder's fee. Though not everyone in the Legion is as welcoming of new members, Garmult allows only consensual, nonlethal sparring within their establishment. Few members challenge Garmult's authority for risk of missing out on future contracts."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Harborside Hospital",
									"page": 189,
									"id": "3a8",
									"entries": [
										"Generations ago, an outbreak of extremely contagious dancing croup\u2014a deadly plague that caused those afflicted to cough themselves to death even as their limbs thrashed uncontrollably\u2014caused many Baldurians to rethink their approach to medicine. Requiring individual victims to seek out healing from their respective clergies accelerated the disease's spread as the infected traveled to different houses of worship throughout the city, overwhelming the facilities at each. In the aftermath, the Lower City decided to consolidate. While patriars might still be able to afford house calls and personal priests and physicians, commoners funded the building of a single large facility where everyone could come for treatment. Eager to no longer have every worship service interrupted by contagious congregants, several of the city's temples were only too happy to provide clerics to work in the facility. Of course, coin still determines one's quality of care, the clerics rarely work for free, and those without sufficient funds generally end up in the ominously stained basement with the chirurgeons-in-training\u2014but at least those in need know where they can go for help. Chronically understaffed, especially in those wards catering to poor Outer City residents, the hospital has constant security problems, from angry patients to spontaneously arising undead, unethical or experimental treatments by priests of non-good faiths, or excessive withdrawals from the stores of painkilling narcotics.",
										"It perhaps says something about Baldur's Gate that city officials decided to build the hospital right next to Cliffgate, convenient to the graveyard and as far as possible from the wealthy neighborhoods."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Hissing Stones",
									"page": 189,
									"id": "3a9",
									"entries": [
										"This low stone bathhouse in the Seatower neighborhood is one of the oldest buildings in the area. Built in the Chessentan style, it features heated pools, echoing halls, and gorgeous tile mosaics.",
										"The Hissing Stones hold a special niche in Baldurian politics due to its status as a neutral, safe, and private meeting place. Its longtime proprietor, a neutral female moon elf {@creature spy} named Merilyn Allaryr, ensures that clients enter the baths bearing nothing but the thin robes she provides, leaving all weapons and other possessions with her. Merilyn's reputation, and that of her highly capable attendants, is formidable enough that even rival crews or businesses engaged in the tensest of negotiations never violate the house's rule against violence.",
										"This establishment's commitment to discretion also makes the bathhouse the prime venue for paid companionship in the Lower City. Many of the most sought-after courtesans meet their patrons in the Hissing Stones' steamy private rooms, trusting to Merilyn's silence and the house's reputation for business meetings to deflect the suspicion of jealous spouses or gossipy wags. Unlike Merilyn, the Reveler's Union\u2014the city-spanning crew of night-workers\u2014isn't averse to selling secrets teased from the bathhouse's clients, and those looking to purchase such information need only whisper in the right ear here. Though this dichotomy keeps Merilyn herself from officially joining the Union, the crew uses the location as its de facto headquarters, regularly renting out and conducting meetings in its vast central pool."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Insight Park",
									"page": 189,
									"id": "3aa",
									"entries": [
										"Forty years ago, an lawful neutral shield dwarf {@creature druid} named Torimesh arrived home in the city after decades of adventuring abroad and purchased this small portion of the hillside. Too steep to build on, the area had long been an illegal junkyard, with locals standing atop a rocky promontory and dumping their refuse over the edge of the embankment. Instead of clearing the debris away, Torimesh used magic to nurture the local plants, causing a forest of green to grow up over the garbage, rusting away debris and creating soft lawns and thickets shot through with small recesses and tunnels where the old refuse had piled high. This revamped space he dedicated as a public park, arguing that the poor need to feel nature's touch just as much as rich patriars with their manicured gardens. Torimesh himself lives in a tiny hut backed against the jutting outcropping still known as Dumper's Rock.",
										"The main appeal of Insight Park is the Drawing Tree. Planted by Torimesh and grown to full-size in a matter of days, the tree is of a species no one can identify, and Torimesh steadfastly refuses to say anything about its origins, yet everyone knows its power. When properly entreated by Torimesh, the tree's red bark cracks and curls like parchment. Pulling it carefully away reveals a prophetic scene rendered in bloody sap. These arboreal visions of the future are often cryptic, yet inevitably come to pass. As much as the city's elite would love to harness this power, anyone else attempting to peel the tree's bark or force a prophecy reveals only bark and sends Torimesh into a near-murderous rage. For his part, the druid refuses to work for money, peeling off prophecies only according to the unspoken whims of the tree, or in exchange for bizarre and dangerous favors."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Jopalin's",
									"page": 190,
									"id": "3ab",
									"entries": [
										"After taking over from his father, a neutral evil male half-elf {@creature thug} named Jopalin transitioned this building from a seedy dockside tavern to a thriving, upscale teahouse. Many were shocked by the growth of such a sophisticated establishment among the port's lowbrow customers, but no one can deny the addictive nature of the half-elf proprietor's special blend. Jopalin includes sable moonflower leaves in his tea, creating a subtle, slow-building addiction among those who drink it. Many never realize what's happening, knowing only that they deeply crave his tea above all others, and for those who do uncover the scam, it's often too late, leaving them with no choice but to keep coming back. Jopalin personally watches over the customers and ensures that only those who seem vulnerable get the \"special\" tea, avoiding suspicion from any who might decide to fight back if the truth were to come out.",
										"Jopalin also runs a more traditionally squalid moonflower den in the shop's damp basement, catering to ordinary addicts and those who've become so reliant on the tea that they can no longer pass as normal customers. These sad cases are shuffled in through an entrance in the building next door to avoid suspicion, where a group of thugs presides over several dozen filthy cots, collecting Jopalin's fees and dispensing his moonflower supply. The paranoid Jopalin himself lives in a lavish and heavily booby-trapped loft above the café."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Low Lantern",
									"page": 190,
									"id": "3ac",
									"entries": [
										"This old, three-masted ship rocks gently in the water alongside Stormshore Street Dock on the harbor's eastern side. A notorious festhall and tavern, the ship is no longer seaworthy and is in desperate need of repair.",
										"On warm days and evenings, respectable clients can sit at tables on the upper deck beneath hanging lanterns, smoking and drinking between wagers, while a more raucous crowd congregates around bars and gambling tables on the decks below.",
										"For more information about this establishment, see {@adventure chapter 1|BGDIA|1}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mandorcai's Mansion",
									"page": 190,
									"id": "3ad",
									"entries": [
										"The only blight in otherwise upscale Bloomridge, this mansion appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night, taking over a previously vacant lot. Fully staffed with close-lipped servants, the imposing manse hosted a few lavish parties for the Lower City elite, presided over by an eccentric and brooding human wizard named Mandorcai. And then, just as suddenly as he had arrived, Mandorcai shut the manor's doors and vanished from public life. Curious locals who peered through the windows reported a completely empty manor, its furniture looking as though it hadn't been touched in years. Yet soon thereafter, individuals around the city began to receive invitations to visit, written in silver on black paper folded into pentagons.",
										"Those who entered the mansion for the requested appointments never emerged. After a handful of such disappearances, a Flaming Fist squad smashed its way into the building. Only two of its members emerged, babbling about shifting rooms and blood-soaked abattoirs filled with writhing hooks and chains. With no laborers willing to tear the place down, the Council of Four boarded up the doors but left the mansion standing. For decades now, no one has been observed going in or out. Whether the little black invitations that still occasionally appear on citizens' doorsteps are genuine or harmless pranks remains anyone's guess.",
										"In truth, Mandorcai gained occult knowledge and his magical manor in a bargain with the obese twin {@creature Chain Devil||chain devils} Kyrix and Valisog. For years Mandorcai upheld his side of the contract by bringing the fiends mortal sacrifices, until an accidental breach of contract let the devils haul him screaming into the Nine Hells. Since then, the mansion's hungry traps and shape-changing powers have lain dormant. Recently, however, a group of {@creature Cultist||cultists} have broken into the house, seeking to harness its fell powers. Though they haven't yet figured out how to commune with the chain devils yet, when they do, it'll likely be without the safeguards Mandorcai managed to negotiate, potentially resulting in fiendish disaster for the whole neighborhood."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Seatower of Balduran",
									"page": 190,
									"id": "3ae",
									"entries": [
										"The headquarters of the Flaming Fist stands on a rocky islet in the harbor, its sheer walls erupting from the stone in such a way as to grant invaders from the sea few footholds. From the fortress's five stout towers, specially made Gondan trebuchets stand ready to hurl stones three times the distance of an ordinary siege weapon, giving the fortress command of not just the entire harbor but the opposite bank of the river as well. Any invading ships not intimidated by such death from above would also have to contend with the massive chain running from the Seatower to pilings under the easternmost wharf in Brampton. A capstan in the tower can raise the chain, stretching it across the harbor mouth and keeping anything larger than a rowboat from entering or leaving. As for land-based attacks, the 400-foot-long causeway connecting the Seatower's islet to the shore needs no gates or drawbridges, as any attackers foolish enough to charge along its length would be easy marks for the wall's archers.",
										"Roughly a hundred Flaming Fist soldiers occupy the fortress at any given time, along with the residents of the Officers' Tower. In the central bailey, the organization's vast armory holds every weapon a mercenary company could need, along with trophies from campaigns abroad, a priceless library of war-related texts, and more. Rumors also speak of the Fist's treasury, kept in a lead-lined vault somewhere beneath the Officers' Tower and surrounded by yards of solid stone, the secret doors leading to its vaults hidden by clever mechanisms and cleverer magic.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/118-kvzma-06-08.webp"
											},
											"width": 767,
											"height": 1000
										},
										"In addition to defending the city, the Seatower also serves as the local prison of Baldur's Gate. Three levels of dungeons extend beneath it, the lower two below sea level and integrating part of a naturally occurring cavern system. This both keeps the prison secure and pacifies prisoners, as any who act out know that they can always be moved from the dry cells to the dank lower levels. Particularly problematic inmates end up in the Swimming Hole\u2014a flooded and lightless shaft where prisoners must constantly tread water or risk drowning, while also fending off the blind, biting shrimp that dwell there. Though long-term incarceration is rare in the city, there are always a few inmates rotting in these cells, ranging from petty criminals to political prisoners locked away on trumped-up charges.",
										"Characters who run seriously afoul of the law in Baldur's Gate might wind up in the Seatower. While the Fist treats the prison as something of an afterthought, any trying to break in or out of the dungeons still have their work cut out for them. Only the upper cells have windows, and anyone trying to break through the walls of the lower cells risks catastrophic flooding. Sentries are constantly on alert for ships drawing suspiciously near the island, and no one is allowed through the fortress's gate without a reason and an escort. Cells themselves have heavy steel doors with high-quality locks, with the keys held by Jailer Albrecht Little, a lawful neutral male human {@creature gladiator}, or his second, Jailer Cogrus Stonehammer, a lawful neutral female shield dwarf {@creature knight}. Soldiers are often assigned to \"cell duty\" as a temporary punishment\u2014while this generally means rougher treatment for prisoners, the regular turnover might present a sliver of opportunity for anyone attempting a rescue."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Seskergates",
									"page": 192,
									"id": "3af",
									"entries": [
										"Once home to the Sesker merchant family, this tall, gaudy mansion was abandoned after the last member of the family died in it under mysterious circumstances several years ago. Shortly thereafter, a neutral evil human {@creature mage} from Athkatla named Imbralym Skoond bought the place to use as his home and magical workshop, drawn there by stories of the structure's original builder, a smuggler who turned the place into a warren of secret passages, hidden rooms, false walls, and concealed entrances, most of which have now been forgotten.",
										"Ambitious and thoroughly amoral, Skoond rose to prominence as the Council of Four's wizard, doing regular favors for the council to further his own plots. Though rarely home, he boards four alchemist lackeys in the building, along with several guards, using the secret passages to cover their comings and goings. Their only job is to uncover and map out as many of the building's secrets as possible\u2014one of the histories Skoond read suggested that the building's original architect had died while smuggling a rare magical tome, leading him to suspect that it still lies hidden in the house's walls.",
										"Unfortunately, Skoond's apprentices aren't the only ones searching. Drawn up through hidden tunnels by the magical auras of both the tome and neighboring Mandorcai's Mansion, a {@creature nothic} lurks in the house's passages, using them to spy on the wizards and search for the treasure. So far, none of the residents have detected it\u2014the last person to do so was the previous owner, killed by the nothic's rotting gaze. Though evil and unwilling to cede claim to the tome\u2014which it hasn't yet located\u2014the nothic is full of secrets from both its spying and its weird oracular abilities, and might be willing to sell them for the right price."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Sewer Keep",
									"page": 192,
									"id": "3b0",
									"entries": [
										"Like many port cities, Baldur's Gate has traditionally dumped its sewage downstream and let the river carry its problems elsewhere. As the city grew, however, this began to dangerously pollute the river, leading a coalition of druids and patriars to construct the Sewer Keep.",
										"A series of three towers built into the walls at the western end of the Seatower neighborhood, the facility was intended to treat the sewage just before it enters the river, using vast enclosed holding tanks of magically augmented plants to purify the effluent. Though the facility was a marvel of magical ecological engineering, the public proved singularly unwilling to care about their waste, and funding quickly collapsed. Since then, the Keep has been a shadow of its intended glory, struggling to keep the worst of Baldur's Gate from the waterway.",
										"Today, the facility still operates, but mostly as a headquarters and cover for the Sewerkeepers crew. Most of the \"druids\" and technicians running the plant are anything but\u2014instead, they're a specialized thieving crew that uses the keep's position to pass unseen through the city's network of sewer pipes and cisterns. From this warren of tunnels, they can smuggle goods and conduct daring burglaries, as well as occasionally acting as subterranean monster-hunters and paid guides through the city's guts.",
										"The Sewerkeepers' leader, Genamine Kopali (neutral evil female human {@creature assassin}), also acts as the Guild kingpin for the Seatower neighborhood. Along with a spectrum of ne'er-do-wells, her crew also contains several actual {@creature Druid||druids} who keep the facility running and control the crew's several guardian beasts, including a number of sweet-smelling {@creature Shambling Mound||shambling mounds} that live in the tanks, churning them as part of the purification process. {@creature Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA} (see \"{@adventure Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA|1|{@dice D29}. Mortlock Vanthampur}\") pays Genamine to keep him apprised of strange activities in the sewers. Mortlock, in turn, reports whatever he learns to his mother, {@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Shrine of the Suffering",
									"page": 192,
									"id": "3b1",
									"entries": [
										"This simple stone shrine to Ilmater, god of martyrs and patient endurance, stands in a small, quiet square, the edges of its plaza thick with the pallets and meager belongings of the Lower City's homeless population. Here, poor Baldurians can come to receive free meals and enough coppers to pay their way through the city's gates, thanks to the ministrations of Brother Hodges, a lawful good male strongheart halfling {@creature priest}. Supported by donations from all ranks of society and beloved by their community, the halfling cleric and his adult children Hansen and Sissa (both lawful good strongheart halfling {@creature Acolyte||acolytes}) can inevitably be found here chatting with the city's downtrodden, offering what healing and alms they can.",
										"The church's only source of non-donation income is a twisting series of crypts that extends down from an entrance behind the altar, at several points piercing the city's sewers. For a small fee, anyone can have a corpse brought down into the cramped tomb, where hordes of sewer rats flood in to eat the flesh, leaving (mostly) clean bones to be interred in the attached ossuary by Ilmater's faithful. While a somewhat ignoble end, it's often the only holy-ground burial the city's poor can afford, and Brother Hodges does his best to bring quiet dignity to the practice. However, a fertile {@creature carrion crawler} has recently slithered up from the sewers to feast on the corpses in the tomb, leaving a trail of squirming young wherever it passes. Brother Hodges is incensed by the desecration, but doesn't dare face the beasts himself, and the Flaming Fist has been slow to come to his aid. Though the church can't pay, he would gratefully offer free healing to anyone who dealt with the menace."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Smilin' Boar",
									"page": 193,
									"id": "3b2",
									"entries": [
										"With its downright ribald menu of salaciously renamed breakfast foods, the Smilin' Boar was always intended to cause a stir in well-to-do Bloomridge. Yet the current buzz is more than owner Jentha Allinamuch, a chaotic good female strongheart halfling {@creature commoner}, ever intended. For the past six months, bodies have been appearing in the alley just behind the halfling's café. More than a dozen have appeared so far, never with any witnesses as to how they go there. The victims have no apparent commonalities\u2014being of all ages, races, genders, and social classes, and having disappeared from points all across the city\u2014yet there's no question in anyone's mind that the same killer is responsible, as each is found with curved slices across their wrists and a heart-piercing wound. The whole district is astir over the murders, but so far the Fist hasn't been able to turn up any leads on what locals have fearfully dubbed the Sickle Man. With business plummeting, Jentha is as eager as any grieving family to find answers, and would happily pay independent investigators to help track down the killer. In fact, the killer is not one person, but a group of Dead Three cultists looking to spread fear in the city (see \"{@area Hamhocks Slaughterhouse|3be|x}\")."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Sorcerous Sundries",
									"page": 193,
									"id": "3b3",
									"entries": [
										"A dome of stained glass roofs this tall, round shop, casting chaotic shafts of color down across several open-air floors that rise upon wooden pillars, connected by staircases and ladders. While the living quarters upstairs teem with rare plants and bookcases, the bottom floor acts as one of the most popular magic shops in the city. Inside its delicate-looking but magically warded walls, customers can buy and sell all manner of curios and common magic items from the eccentric shopkeeper, Rivalen Blackhand, a neutral male human {@creature mage} with a withered right hand.",
										"Blackhand almost always has {@item Potion of Healing||potions of healing} available for sale. He also typically has up to 500 gp on hand to buy items from those with interesting magical wares, though he's a savvy bargainer and rarely pays anything close to full price.",
										"Currently, the wizard finds himself in the grip of an unusual protection racket. His supposed apprentice Gilligunn, a neutral evil female rock gnome {@creature spy}, is actually a Guild member. Whenever Blackhand makes a sufficiently large transaction, Gilligunn secretly tracks the customer, leading an appropriately sized group of Guild toughs to ambush them days later, knowing they'll be carrying either a large sum of money or a valuable magic item they can sell back to Blackhand. Though the shopkeeper isn't happy with the arrangement, the Guild varies its patterns enough to keep suspicion away from him, and he has to admit it's a better deal than paying protection money himself."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Water Queen's House",
									"page": 193,
									"id": "3b4",
									"entries": [
										"The oldest temple in Baldur's Gate, the Water Queen's House clings to its enormous pier like a monster of the deep, its stone walls trailing over the side and descending down beneath the waves and river mud. At the pier's tip, a huge fountain in the shape of a sinking ship sprays water high, reminding faithful of the price of failing to appease Umberlee.",
										"The intimidating Allandra Grey, a chaotic evil female human {@creature priest}, leads the temple's score of waveservants, most of them women widowed or orphaned by the sea. Ordinary Baldurians rarely see the waveservants, and never step inside the temple. When the faithful wish to make offerings, they must ring a bell by the door. Two waveservants (chaotic evil female human {@creature Acolyte||acolytes}) answer the door, one accepting the offering inside while the other says a short prayer in the doorway. Once the prayer is spoken and the donation collected, they step back and close the door.",
										"Though no outsiders know exactly how the temple's finances work, the dour waveservants buy little in the markets save essentials. The rest of the tithes are carried in solemn procession down crumbling, moss-covered stairs that cling to the outside of the temple and descend into the murky water. The waveservants disappear below the water for a few minutes, only to return empty-handed. What happens to the treasures is anyone's guess, with some suggesting they're hidden in underwater vaults. Others believe the gifts are borne away by Umberlee herself. In truth, the waveservants leave the treasures at the bottom of the staircase, where they are fetched within the hour by {@dice 2d6} {@creature sahuagin} led by a {@creature sahuagin priestess}. The sahuagin make the long trip from the Sea of Swords to obtain these treasures, and in exchange, they refrain from attacking the city, its harbor, and ships heading out to sea.",
										"If the waveservants wish harm to befall a ship or its crew, they leave a clam with the treasure in the water. When the clam is opened, it magically recites up to 25 words in Common. This information helps the sahuagin identify the ship. The sahuagin priestess uses a {@spell tongues} spell to translate the clam's words, then executes an attack on the ship during the next new moon."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Outer City",
					"page": 194,
					"id": "3b5",
					"entries": [
						"Dirty and uncouth, the Outer City holds everything the elite of Baldur's Gate resist allowing within their walls: the poor, refugees, tanneries and stockyards, and other industries that offend highborn sensibilities. Stretching forth from each of the city's external gates, the Outer City sprawls in a chaotic tangle of shanties and shops, carts and tents lining the roads in hopes of bleeding off enough city trade for their owners to survive. And indeed, much of the commerce in Baldur's Gate happens in these unregulated markets, with even patriars shopping from inside perfumed litters.",
						"While smaller neighborhoods such as Tumbledown and Blackgate squat outside their respective gates, the majority of the Outer City runs along the Coast Way as it curves around the foot of Duskhawk Hill, between Wyrm's Crossing and the city proper. Residents of these neighborhoods are not technically citizens and receive no representation in the government, nor do they receive the benefit of the city's police forces. The Flaming Fist rarely patrols the Outer City, usually emerging only to pursue Outer City residents for crimes committed within the walls.",
						"The Outer City's challenges lead to small, tightly knit communities, where a person's honor and social connections are the only things standing between them and a quick death.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Approaching the City",
							"page": 194,
							"id": "3b6",
							"entries": [
								"Visitors approaching Baldur's Gate by road first pass through the Outer City's ramshackle neighborhoods, their traffic hemmed in by cook fires, market stalls, and industries too noisy or repugnant for more genteel citizens. Here travelers must leave any sizable mounts or beasts of burden at one of countless stables and caravanserais before paying the fees to pass through the gates into the city proper. Travelers from the south are twice blessed in this regard, paying once for the bridge at Wyrm's Crossing and again once they've run the gauntlet of Outer City neighborhoods circling Duskhawk Hill.",
								"Travelers arriving via the river wait in the center of Gray Harbor, under the watchful eye of the Seatower, until one of the harbormaster's agents approaches in a fast-moving skiff. Protected by coteries of Gray Wavers (Flaming Fist {@creature Veteran||veterans}), these customs officials assess the boat's cargo, collect taxes, and sell hourly berth assignments at one of the city's many docks and piers. Large vessels may also pay to make use of the city's marvelous mechanical cranes, dramatically accelerating their unloading process."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Neighborhoods",
							"page": 194,
							"id": "3b7",
							"entries": [
								"The following neighborhoods make up the Outer City.",
								"{@b Blackgate}. The Outer City settlement beyond the Black Dragon Gate, Blackgate serves those traveling to and from Waterdeep on the Trade Way. Huge stables cater to travelers' mounts, while a community of shield dwarf ironsmiths draws even residents of the Upper City with their skill.",
								"{@b Little Calimshan}. This walled community's Calishite inhabitants fiercely guard their home from the Guild and the rest of Baldur's Gate. Little Calimshan is further detailed in \"{@area Little Calimshan|3bf|x}\".",
								"{@b Norchapel}. The quietest of the Outer City neighborhoods, Norchapel caters to those residents willing to pay more than the usual protection money to the Guild, in exchange for having their safety and security.",
								"{@b Rivington}. This self-contained village of anglers and river-powered mills is the first neighborhood encountered by travelers approaching from the south. Dominated by a local gang called the Rivington Rats, it's also a haven for smuggling thanks to its river access.",
								"{@b Sow's Foot}. Here, expatriates from dozens of far-flung nations mingle with races ranging from lizardfolk to svirfneblin among the scents of exotic food and the calls of strange animals, banding together against a city that views them as outsiders.",
								"{@b Stonyeyes}. Just outside the Basilisk Gate that gives it its name, this neighborhood is full of stables and stockyards. Many Outer City residents who work within the city live here to be as close as possible to their places of business. Among them is a significant community of half-orc porters.",
								"{@b Tumbledown}. Off by itself overlooking the river, this perpetually foggy neighborhood hosts the Cliffside Cemetery.",
								"{@b Twin Songs}. Standing ready to welcome visitors as they cross the river, Twin Songs is renowned for its enormous diversity of shrines and places of worship, from tiny roadside altars and idols to home-based temples. While those in search of significant magic must still generally visit the larger temples in the city proper, no god is too foreign or obscure to be worshiped in Twin Songs' divine sprawl, where even non-criminal worship of fiends and the Dead Three goes unchallenged.",
								"{@b Whitkeep}. This neighborhood takes its name from the white manor house at its center, which houses the city's largest enclave of gnomes. Free-spirited and home to hordes of artists, the neighborhood would likely attract trendy city folk and price out the resident radicals, if not for its odoriferous tanneries.",
								"{@b Wyrm's Crossing}. This massive bridge crosses the Chionthar River. Shops and homes gird the bridge's edges. See \"{@area Wyrm's Crossing|3c3|x}\" for more information."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Outer City Gazetteer",
							"page": 194,
							"id": "3b8",
							"entries": [
								"Dreams both flourish and die in the Outer City, which many say holds the best and worst of Baldur's Gate. The following are some of the best known and most infamous Outer City locations.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Outer City Random Encounters",
									"colLabels": [
										"d20",
										"Encounter"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1\u20136",
											"No encounter"
										],
										[
											"7\u201310",
											"Harmless interaction (roll on {@adventure table G|BGDIA|9|Table G: Outer City Harmless Interactions})"
										],
										[
											"11\u201316",
											"Denizens (roll on {@adventure table H|BGDIA|9|Table H: Outer City Denizens})"
										],
										[
											"17\u201320",
											"Threat (roll on {@adventure table I|BGDIA|9|Table I: Outer City Threats})"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Table G: Outer City Harmless Interactions",
									"colLabels": [
										"d12",
										"Interaction"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"A member of the Gravemaker crew from Cliffside Cemetery calmly asks if the party saw a woman in an old-fashioned dress pass by. If pressed for more details, he says she was \"see-through.\""
										],
										[
											"2",
											"A priest from the Church of the Last Hope entreats the party to help find a patient who's wandered off."
										],
										[
											"3",
											"An obviously magical axe menaces passersby as it floats down the street. The proprietor of Danthelon's Dancing Axe gives chase (see \"{@area Danthelon's Dancing Axe|3bc|x}\", for more information)."
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Ubis Garynmor of Garynmor Stables and Menagerie goes from alley to alley, hooting. If asked what he's doing, he grudgingly admits that something got loose from his stable."
										],
										[
											"5",
											"A gaunt half-elf, Jaemus Exheltarion from the Hamhocks Slaughterhouse, openly admires a character's left ear and offers to buy it for 15 gp."
										],
										[
											"6",
											"A member of the Little Calimshan's Right Pashas tries to sell characters some fresh-made brownies, made with his grandmother's secret recipe, to raise money for a child's birthday party. The brownies cost 1 cp each and are delicious."
										],
										[
											"7",
											"Jonas Goodnight, owner of the Oasis Theater, dramatically praises the party, inviting them to star in his next unbelievable stage production."
										],
										[
											"8",
											"A bleary-eyed astronomer stumbles into the party, while fearfully watching the heavens. If asked, she points toward the sky and whispers, \"The stars aren't right. The dark times are coming.\""
										],
										[
											"9",
											"Several cackling, half-dressed gnomes are covered in body paint and drive a wheeled contraption down the street. The device is a mobile piece of art crafted at Whitkeep Hostel and titled \"The Patriars.\""
										],
										[
											"10",
											"A group of obviously drunk Flaming Fist officers stumble away from a Wyrm's Crossing bar. They ineffectually try to start a fight with the party, then apologize and wander off."
										],
										[
											"11",
											"A precocious member of the Gateguides asks the party if they want to earn a few quick coins. If so, he asks them to create a distraction so some Flaming Fist soldiers stop harassing a newly arrived family of refugees he's helping."
										],
										[
											"12",
											"A merchant and gate guard argue over how to accurately measure and compare the sizes of an unusually small donkey and an exceptionally large {@creature peacock|BGDIA}. They ask for a passing party member's opinion."
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Table H: Outer City Denizens",
									"colLabels": [
										"d10",
										"Interaction"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"{@dice 2d4} Calishite {@creature Thug||thugs} and {@dice 2d4} Tethyrian {@creature Thug||thugs} curse at each other, ready to brawl"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"{@dice 1d6} gnome {@creature Commoner||commoners} from the Whitkeep Hostel throw tomatoes at passersby who flaunt their wealth"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Bandit||bandits} joyride on {@creature Riding Horse||riding horses} stolen from a corral"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"{@dice 2d4} Flaming Fist {@creature Guard||guards}, off-duty or headed elsewhere, ignore obvious crimes"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"{@dice 1d4} patriars (human {@creature Noble||nobles}) and {@dice 2d8} {@creature Guard||guards}"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"{@dice 1d4} barkers ({@creature Spy||spies}) pass out handbills for the Oasis Theater"
										],
										[
											"7",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Commoner||commoners} herding {@dice 2d8} {@creature Goat||goats} and one {@creature peacock|BGDIA} (use the {@creature vulture} stat block)"
										],
										[
											"8",
											"{@dice 2d6} beggars ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
										],
										[
											"9",
											"1 Flaming Fist officer ({@creature knight}) and {@dice 2d4} Flaming Fist soldiers ({@creature Veteran||veterans}) heading to or from Wyrm's Rock"
										],
										[
											"10",
											"{@dice 2d6} members of the Crossers or Gravemakers crew ({@creature Commoner||commoners}) on street patrol"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Table I: Outer City Threats",
									"colLabels": [
										"d10",
										"Threat"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"{@dice 2d4} {@creature Giant Rat||giant rats}"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"1 {@creature bandit captain} and {@dice 1d6} {@creature Bandit||bandits} demand a \"street use\" tax"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"{@dice 1d6} Guild pickpockets ({@creature Spy||spies})"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Ghoul||ghouls} picking at corpses left in the street"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"{@dice 2d6} {@creature Skeleton||skeletons} escaped from the Cliffside Cemetery"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"A flying, double-bladed axe terrorizing passersby (the illusion-wrapped {@creature stirge} from {@area Danthelon's Dancing Axe|3bc|x})"
										],
										[
											"7",
											"1 {@creature cockatrice} that escaped from the Garynmor Menagerie"
										],
										[
											"8",
											"{@dice 1d6} {@creature Stirge||stirges}"
										],
										[
											"9",
											"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Jackalwere||jackalweres} that live in Little Calimshan"
										],
										[
											"10",
											"Dead Three abduction squad (see the \"{@area More Dead Three Encounters|07c|x}\" sidebar)"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Balduran Looks Out to Sea",
									"page": 194,
									"id": "3b9",
									"entries": [
										"Shortly after Balduran disappeared for the final time, this statue appeared on the cliffs of Tumbledown. Twice the size of the actual man, the statue bears an uncanny likeness to Balduran, squinting west over city and river. While its sudden arrival created something of a stir, most assumed it was simply a tribute to the great man\u2014until one morning several months later when passersby noticed that one of the statue's hands had risen to shade its eyes. Scholars immediately began studying the statue, learning that at sunrise on the first day of each new year, the statue flickers, changing its position in an eyeblink. Though it always looks west, the precise line of its gaze can change by up to thirty degrees, and it may peer through a spyglass, stand with hands on hips, point with an open hand, and so on.",
										"For centuries, the predominant theory was that Balduran still lived somewhere far to the west, and the statue tracked his movements. Yet a generation ago, a knight of Oghma vowed to follow the line of the statue's gaze as far as necessary to learn the truth. His journey was shorter than expected. In a wood just a few miles west of the city, he came upon a cylindrical stone building, its open doorway revealing stairs leading down into the forest floor. Atop the building, a smaller statue of Balduran stared back the way he had come. Prevented from entering by a pattern of magical lights he couldn't identify, the knight raced back to the city to gather additional scholars\u2014yet when he returned, the structure was gone. Since then, the forested structure\u2014which popular stories now refer to as Balduran's Tomb\u2014has been discovered three more times in the same fashion, each time in a different location, yet so far no one has been able to enter."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Cliffside Cemetery",
									"page": 196,
									"id": "3ba",
									"entries": [
										"The value of land and sheer population density in Baldur's Gate means only the wealthiest patriars can afford to bury their dead within the city, interring them in catacombs beneath the city's temples or in family crypts on their own grounds. For everyone else, there's the ignoble Shrine of the Suffering or the scattering of cemeteries outside the city. The largest of the latter is Cliffside Cemetery, located in the Tumbledown neighborhood and employing many local residents as gravediggers, stonemasons, morticians, and professional mourners.",
										"Long ago, the graveyard was an empty estate owned by the mercantile Szarr family, with only a few family crypts near the cliffs. When a business rival murdered the entire family in their beds, no one was eager to move into their former manor, and the city decided to turn the estate into a single massive graveyard that acts as the primary repository for the city's dead.",
										"The graveyard itself is a maze of crypts and monuments, its organization nearly impossible for outsiders to discern as the multi-chamber ossuaries of rich merchants and pirate lords loom over the simple plaques and rotting wooden holy symbols of the poor. Natural cavern systems have been expanded and shored up to create extensive crypts, yet over generations maps have been lost or poorly updated, and it's not uncommon for a gravedigger to find themselves striking the wood of a coffin where no coffin should be, or tumbling through into a forgotten stretch of tunnel. Rampant grave robbery by brigands and necromancy-obsessed followers of Myrkul only increases the chaos, as bodies get exhumed and reburied wherever it's convenient. Most significantly, a major landslide decades ago dropped a large portion of the cemetery's cliff into the river below, causing the remaining bone-houses and markers to shift and lean, while also exposing numerous crypts and tomb-tunnels to the air, prompting a fresh rush of grave robbing. Though Baldurians rarely bury their dead with valuables anymore, and many of the easier pickings have been taken, it's common wisdom that some of the greatest treasures of past centuries still lie entombed with their heroes, their headstones wiped anonymously clean by wind and rain.",
										"Watching over all of this is the powerful Gravemakers crew. Far more than simply caretakers and laborers, the Gravemakers guard the dead\u2014and Tumbledown\u2014from threats. With so much death concentrated in one spot, undead are a constant problem. Skeletons and revenants regularly claw spontaneously out of their graves, while ghouls and ghasts burrow into crypts and catacombs, drawn by the scent of decaying flesh. Wights hide in their tombs by day, while ghosts and wraiths terrorize unsuspecting mortals. Putting down such threats before they can prey on citizens is the Gravemakers' primary job, and though rightfully proud of their prowess, their leader Leone Wen, a lawful good female human {@creature knight} and servant of Torm, is always looking for fresh recruits or contractors to join them in their crusade. The crew operates out of the half-burned old Szarr Mansion in the cemetery's center, its moldering halls reputedly still infested by the ghosts of the murdered Szarrs\u2014though stories remain split as to whether the ghosts prey on the Gravemakers or aid them in their duty."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Church of Last Hope",
									"page": 196,
									"id": "3bb",
									"entries": [
										"This combined chapel and asylum in the Twin Songs neighborhood has long offered sanctuary for the depressed and mentally ill. The few attendants ascribe to the faith of no particular god, but extol the virtues of meditation and whatever calm faiths visitors might bring with them.",
										"Few seek the church's services on their own. Rather, most who come to dwell at the church either have a room rented for them by concerned family or receive a somewhat mysterious\u2014and usually unexpected\u2014invitation from the institute's superintendent, Mother Aramina, a lawful good female human {@creature priest}. Aramina is a former Candlekeep scholar who's moved her lifelong study of psychology from the academic to the clinical. How Mother Aramina learns of individuals' distress and under what circumstances she offers free room and board in her facility is something of a mystery, but as of yet, none have discovered any sinister angle to her work. In fact, Mother Aramina has been known to hire empathic intermediaries to help extricate the needful from destructive conditions. Despite its charity, though, the Church of Last Hope is not universally loved. The Faithless, the Guild-associated gang in Twin Songs, see a trove of wealthy city-dwellers and wishy-washy non-priests in their midst, ripe targets for protection schemes, kidnappings, and all manner of other plots. Currently none of the Church's patients have been endangered, but Mother Aramina is cautiously looking for more permanent security solutions."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Danthelon's Dancing Axe",
									"page": 196,
									"id": "3bc",
									"entries": [
										"This two-story shop sells everything an adventurer might need, from weapons and armor to rowboats and mobile monster cages. Presiding over the crammed shelves is Entharl Danthelon, a neutral good male shield dwarf {@creature commoner} who claims to have been an adventurer once himself, as evidenced by the magical flying axe that guards his shop at night. Customers are inevitably treated to the story of the grateful elven princess who enchanted the axe for him as a reward for a daring adventure undertaken on her behalf.",
										"In truth, Danthelon's \"dancing axe\" is actually a tame {@creature stirge} wrapped in the illusion of a double-bladed axe, which Danthelon sets loose each night. The illusion is courtesy of Yssra Brackrel, a neutral female half-elf {@creature mage} and brilliant hairstylist who rents out the shop's attic. Yssra's cantankerousness is as legendary as the shop's flying axe, and anyone seeking just her spellcasting is subject to a frank and unflattering critique of their current coiffure.",
										"While Danthelon may never have been a real adventurer, he loves associating with them, and constantly keeps his ears open for rumors and opportunities, which he happily passes along to paying customers. At the moment, he's obsessed with reports of a group of smugglers who recently went missing in the Riverveins tunnels along with a chest full of valuable magic potions, and eagerly encourages his shoppers to investigate\u2014and then return to tell him the story."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Garynmor Stables and Menagerie",
									"page": 197,
									"id": "3bd",
									"entries": [
										"As horses and other beasts of burden aren't allowed inside the city walls, the Outer City overflows with stables and hostlers, ranging from muddy pens to barns nicer than most inns. Of these, the largest is Garynmor Stables, which offers the unique benefit of operating locations in both Stonyeyes and Blackgate; those travelers passing through have the option of leaving their beasts on one side of the city and picking them up on the other, after grooms have ferried them around the outside of the walls. The stables are also unusual in their willingness to rent mounts to city residents in need of transportation, cutting down on the need of city dwellers to own their own horses. Yet the true gem setting Garynmor Stables apart is its menagerie.",
										"A former world traveler, Ubis Garynmor (chaotic good male human {@creature commoner}) has long had a fascination with exotic beasts, and having already developed the infrastructure to take care of large numbers of ordinary animals, he found it easy enough to expand the scope of his establishment. His menagerie in Stonyeyes contains a variety of rare creatures both mundane and magical, from an aged cockatrice and two wing-clipped hippogriffs to an owlbear. Always on the lookout for new attractions, he happily pays adventurers for healthy specimens of rare creatures, sometimes reselling the smaller and less dangerous species. While the menagerie is popular with city folk who pay a few coppers to view the creatures, many neighbors fear that Ubis doesn't take security seriously enough, and that his desire to coddle such dangerous beasts could lead to them breaking free and rampaging through the district."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Hamhocks Slaughterhouse",
									"page": 197,
									"id": "3be",
									"entries": [
										"This huge complex of pens, barns, and abattoirs is the largest slaughterhouse and knackery in Baldur's Gate. Located in the Stonyeyes neighborhood so as to be convenient to the city's butchers, the facility has a generally adversarial relationship with neighboring establishments, as other herders and hostlers claim the omnipresent smell of blood makes their animals nervous. Yet it's the citizens themselves who should be nervous, for the slaughterhouse recently came under new management.",
										"Seeking to spread fear and chaos, cultists of the Dead Three have infiltrated the slaughterhouse and begun murdering people across the city, leaving the victims in an alley behind the Smilin' Boar in Bloomridge. To further fan the flames, the cult slices the corpses across the wrists and inflicts a heart-piercing wound, giving rise to rumors that the murders are the result of a supernaturally deadly serial killer.",
										"Pasque Enrial, a {@creature black gauntlet of Bane|BGDIA}, is the cult's mastermind. He engineered the death of the slaughterhouse's former owner so that he could take over, figuring that constant blood, offal, and animal screams would provide a suitable cover for the cult's murderous activities. Since then, he's been slowly laying off existing workers and replacing them with cultists loyal to the group's mission. Assisting him are Corian Khee, a {@creature death's head of Bhaal|BGDIA} who spends days crushing livestock skulls with a massive hammer and nights leading the cult's murderous field operations, and Jaemus Exheltarion, a half-elf {@creature master of souls|BGDIA}. Of the three, Jaemus is the least convincing in his role as the slaughterhouse's new accountant, as he greets customers with an eerie stare, openly reads strange-looking tomes, and spends entirely too much time in the cult's trophy locker, a cold-storage facility where he's using pieces harvested from victims and livestock to construct a ram-headed flesh golem."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Little Calimshan",
									"page": 197,
									"id": "3bf",
									"entries": [
										"Generations ago, a fleet of Calishite refugees fleeing war in the south came sailing into Gray Harbor. Rather than opening their doors to the foreigners, the people of Baldur's Gate quickly hustled them out of the city, forcing them out the Basilisk Gate in the middle of the night and taxing them for the privilege. Desperate and weary, the refugees finally found succor in a caravanserai run by a fellow Calishite in the Outer City. There they used what little wealth they'd been able to bring with them to construct a new home\u2014a traditional Calishite settlement that would be precisely as friendly to Baldur's Gate as the Baldurians had been to them.",
										"Though much time has passed since that ignominious beginning, tensions remain high between Little Calimshan and the rest of the city, particularly with regard to those Baldurians living in the city proper. Unlike most of the Outer City, where neighborhoods blend into each other and no one can quite say where one ends and another begins, Little Calimshan is sharply defined by brick-and-plaster walls, 15 feet tall, 5 feet thick, and topped with minarets in the classic Calishite style. These walls don't simply surround the neighborhood, either. Little Calimshan is built like a traditional Calishite city in miniature, with its interior divided into multiple drudachs (neighborhoods). Each drudach is walled off and inhabited by a particular family or tribe, with its own religious site, inn or tavern, marketplace, and places of industry such as smithies, armories, tanneries, or mills. While such an abundance of walls might make Little Calimshan seem fractious and standoffish, in fact the opposite is true: the thick wall walks act as elevated streets, with locals able to look out over the layout from above and easily pick a path to their intended destination.",
										"Second only to the Wide in the chaos and liveliness of its markets, Little Calimshan opens its gates to outsiders for just a few hours each day. Inside its warren of bazaars, local merchants have a near-monopoly on many southern imports, from silks and fine blades of Calishite steel to tomes of rare magical lore, thanks to exclusive trade agreements with various caravans. As soon as mid-afternoon arrives, however, shoppers are shuffled back out the arched gates, and the only non-Calishites still allowed within the neighborhood are those who've married into a Little Calimshan family or otherwise earned the sacred trust of a drudach's residents. While many residents of Little Calimshan venture into the larger city for business or pleasure, not even the Flaming Fist is able to force its way into the neighborhood-turned-fortress after hours except in the direst circumstances, and each drudach is instead patrolled by a militia of young unmarried warriors ({@creature Guard||guards} with scimitars instead of spears) called amlakkars.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/119-khhrx-06-09.webp"
											},
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 666
										},
										"While Little Calimshan presents a unified face to the rest of the city, it has all the problems of any settlement. Income inequality is made all the more obvious by density, with paupers living literally side-by-side with wealthy genie-binders. Older isolationists clash with young folk eager for more interaction with the wider city. Yet by far the largest issue is the gang war currently ravaging Little Calimshan. Seeing the Guild as fundamentally an outsider organization, a Calishite gang called the Right Pashas seeks to oust Guild agents from Little Calimshan's underworld. The Guild's popular half-Calishite kingpin, {@creature Rilsa Rael|BGDIA}, naturally objects to this insult, and each night residents bar their doors tight as a turf war of thugs and thieves rages across their rooftops.",
										"Among Little Calimshan's most notorious locations is the Calim Jewel Emporium, widely regarded as the best jeweler in the city\u2014and the best place to fence stolen gems, as it's also the local Guild headquarters. In addition to hosting regular public forums in her shop, Rael tacitly oversees the Garden of Whispers, a maze of wood-and-paper screens where people from across the city can buy and sell secrets with Guild agents and each other, speaking through the barriers so as to maintain anonymity. Also popular are schools like the Lamp of Learning and the Verdashir Academy (also known as the Dervish Academy), which train spellcasters and warriors in the styles of their ancestral homeland, allowing only the most talented outsiders to access their archives or join in their lessons. And, of course, every patriar in the city has visited the famous Oasis Theater, home of the city's most daring\u2014and sometimes dangerous\u2014productions."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Oasis Theater",
									"page": 198,
									"id": "3c0",
									"entries": [
										"Baldur's Gate plays home to a variety of small theaters and cabarets, but none can hold a candle to the epic spectacle of the Oasis. Theater owner and director Jonas Goodnight, a chaotic neutral male human {@creature spy}, puts on shows even more outrageous than his magnificently crafted outfits. Productions involve everything from live monsters to powerful illusion magic, while also showcasing the most talented performers in the city. Actors and musicians perform their songs and monologues from atop flaming trapezes or human towers, while acrobats shock the audience with physical feats bordering on the supernatural.",
										"Even lowbrow theatergoers unable to decipher Goodnight's artistic genius can appreciate his flagrant breaking of taboos, with risqué burlesque and satirical scripts mocking everyone from the dukes to {@creature Nine-Fingers Keene|BGDIA} herself. The fact that these performances sometimes go terribly awry, with monsters breaking loose or a broken piece of equipment sending a performer plummeting into the crowd, only adds to the excitement, and patriars and common folk alike vie for seats at the theater's afternoon-only performances. Ticket prices are decided capriciously and on the spot by Goodnight, varying wildly between any given individual.",
										"While Goodnight is always looking for new performers, at the moment he needs more than just a talented bard or contortionist. The cost of putting on his outrageous shows has landed him deep in debt, and his compulsive need to roast every potential patron or ally in the city hasn't helped matters. With the Guild ready to step in and assume ownership if he doesn't start repaying his loans, he needs to either turn to outright crime or put on a show more amazing than anything he's done before. He's got an idea, but to pull it off, he'll need an experienced adventuring party willing to play the stars in the world's first live-audience adventure.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/120-637002460268839401.webp"
											},
											"title": "{@creature Rilsa Rael|BGDIA}",
											"width": 350,
											"height": 552
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Riverveins",
									"page": 199,
									"id": "3c1",
									"entries": [
										"Just east of the city, where Dusthawk Hill rises along the Chionthar River, eddies captured by outcroppings have bored into the stone, carving a maze of meandering tunnels and draining into subterranean aquifers. Though hardly diverting enough water to impact the river's flow, the web of submerged chambers has become a source of mystery and legend for locals.",
										"While most of the tunnels are submerged, changes in river height over time mean that some of the tunnels and caverns are dry or only half-flooded for long stretches, making them favored hideouts for fugitives, smugglers, aquatic predators, and particularly adventurous trysting lovers. Though rumors whisper that some tunnels lead directly under Baldur's Gate, to date all mapped caverns are accessible only from the river, and even just climbing into a tunnel mouth or steering a boat inside can be deadly as the current attempts to smash vessels against the cliffs. Stories of ancient treasure in the flooded caverns are only enhanced by stories of Ol' Cholms, a river monster, prowling the tunnels. Many would-be fortune hunters have been disappointed to discover dry tunnels containing nothing more than crude graffiti, empty wine bottles, and flocks of bloodthirsty {@creature Stirge||stirges}."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Whitkeep Hostel",
									"page": 199,
									"id": "3c2",
									"entries": [
										"In a city often thought to be dour and dangerous, the Whitkeep Hostel is a spark of light and levity. Built by a wealthy caravan operator who lost their fortune to monster attacks, this white-walled manor house was quickly overtaken by squatters, and has now spent most of a century as an all-gnome artist's commune. Though only gnomes are invited to rent one of the rambling manor's thirty-seven studio apartments, Baldurians of all races are welcome to socialize at the place's infamous surrealist parties or attend its concerts and offbeat art happenings. As such, the hostel has become the central gathering point for the city's radicals and revolutionaries, as well as many artists and dreamers.",
										"One of the neighborhood's more outspoken critics of the Gate's government, Pernilla \"Prole\" Cabrenock, a chaotic neutral female rock gnome {@creature bandit captain}, has teamed up with an oddball inventor and arcanist named Ardryn Deagle, a chaotic good male rock gnome {@creature mage}. Rumors spread by Prole herself suggest that they've almost completed a magical invention that will \"finally strip away the bonds of capital and free the people to flourish,\" but security around the project has been unusually tight, keeping even many members of the commune in the dark. While most people assume this is merely some strange new critique of the city's patriars, both the Guild and the Flaming Fist would dearly love to infiltrate the revolutionaries' project and make sure it doesn't pose a threat to the status quo.",
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/121-xswfn-06-10.webp"
											},
											"title": "Wyrm's Crossing",
											"width": 1000,
											"height": 528
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Wyrm's Crossing",
									"page": 200,
									"id": "3c3",
									"entries": [
										"This neighborhood is actually two enormous bridges, each spanning half the Chionthar River and meeting at Wyrm's Rock, a tall, rocky islet in the center. While the Flaming Fist maintains a fortress on the island to tax travelers along the Coast Way and control city access in times of trouble, the bridges themselves are fair game for squatters. Ramshackle wooden tenements, taverns, and shops crowd both sides of the arched stone spans, leaning out over the narrow road between them. Even more cling to the sides of the bridges, anchored to each other or cantilevered over the water. The tendency of these latter structures to occasionally drop into the rushing river, pulling their neighbors down with them, is not enough to deter residents who hope to be the first to sell to travelers on their way into the city, or the last to pick their pockets on the way out.",
										"Even among members of the Outer City, residents of Wyrm's Crossing have a reputation as rakes and riffraff, and the neighborhood specializes in seedy dive bars and gambling halls where belligerent drunks can be ejected directly out over the river. At the same time, it also has a large and tight-knit strongheart halfling community, whose low-ceilinged tenements and lighter weight are perfect for the neighborhood's precarious architectural style.",
										"While the Crossing is renowned for cheats and criminals, the residents stick together, and a local crew called the Crossers ensures that all predatory practices are applied primarily to travelers, and never to fellow bridge-dwellers. For those who consistently refuse to play well with their neighbors, the answer is often Sweetjen's Spices, a precarious bridge-side shop whose halfling proprietor quietly sells some of the most potent drugs and untraceable poisons in the city."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Wyrm's Rock",
									"page": 200,
									"id": "3c4",
									"entries": [
										"This formidable fortress rises from the center of the river on an algae-slick islet, its sheer walls nearly impossible to scale. Built by the Flaming Fist on a rock once said to have housed a bronze dragon, the fortress is the first checkpoint at which Baldur's Gate taxes northbound travelers. Anyone seeking to cross the river via the fortress's two massive bridges must pay the 5 cp toll and pass through the fortress via a long central tunnel riddled with arrow slits and murder holes. Between twenty-five and fifty Flaming Fist soldiers staff the checkpoint, which operates only during the day. After dark, the drawbridges on either side of the keep are raised, halting all traffic and forcing latecomers to take shelter at one of the many bridge-top inns in Wyrm's Crossing until morning.",
										"The fortress has four levels: the bridge level, taken up by the gauntlet tunnel and offices devoted to traffic management; a second-story armory full of oil, javelins, and everything the soldiers need to withstand a siege; a third story for soldier's quarters; and a high-ceilinged dungeon level below the bridges to hold temporary prisoners and the fortress's supply of small boats (should the garrison need to sally through heavily fortified river-level gates). Soldiers stationed in the fortress tend to fall into two categories: those disappointed at being stuck on toll-collection duty so far from the city, and those overjoyed at easy work and a chance to carouse in Wyrm's Crossing, with the latter ensuring that the Fist doesn't patrol their neighboring bridges too heavily.",
										"The commander of Wyrm's Rock, an old brute named Skorpin Crane, died in his sleep recently. Foul play was ruled out, and Grand Duke {@creature Ulder Ravengard|BGDIA} was in the midst of finding Crane's replacement when he was lured away on a diplomatic mission to Elturel. Until a replacement is found, the Mage Defender of Wyrm's Rock, a neutral evil shield dwarf {@creature mage} named Gardak Horn, has taken command. The guards loathe Gardak because he uses a {@creature homunculus} to spy on them."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Beyond Baldur's Gate",
					"page": 201,
					"id": "3c5",
					"entries": [
						"Use the following tables to determine who or what the characters might encounter on the roads leading to and from Baldur's Gate. Use these tables as often as desired.",
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Encounters on the Roads",
							"colLabels": [
								"d20",
								"Encounter"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1\u20134",
									"No encounter"
								],
								[
									"5\u201314",
									"Travelers (roll on {@adventure table J|BGDIA|9|Table J: Travelers around Baldur's Gate}, then roll on {@adventure table K|BGDIA|9|Table K: Travelers' Agenda} to determine the travelers' agenda)"
								],
								[
									"15\u201320",
									"Monsters (roll on {@adventure table L|BGDIA|9|Table L: Monsters around Baldur's Gate})"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Table J: Travelers around Baldur's Gate",
							"colLabels": [
								"d12",
								"Travelers"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"{@dice 3d4} local farmers or ranchers ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"{@dice 1d4} foreign merchants ({@creature Commoner||commoners}) and {@dice 3d6} {@creature Guard||guards} traveling in a caravan"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"{@dice 1d6} scholars ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"{@dice 3d6} migrants or refugees ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"{@dice 2d4} Flaming Fist soldiers ({@creature Veteran||veterans})"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"Family of {@dice 1d4} patriars ({@creature Noble||nobles}) in a coach pulled by two {@creature Draft Horse||draft horses}, with {@dice 2d6} {@creature Guard||guards} on {@creature Riding Horse||riding horses} providing escort"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"{@dice 2d4} mercenaries for hire ({@creature Thug||thugs})"
								],
								[
									"8",
									"{@dice 1d6} religious pilgrims ({@creature Acolyte||acolytes})"
								],
								[
									"9",
									"{@dice 1d6} Guild agents ({@creature Bandit||bandits})"
								],
								[
									"10",
									"1 {@creature archmage} accompanied by a {@creature shield guardian}"
								],
								[
									"11",
									"{@dice 1d6} entertainers ({@creature Commoner||commoners})"
								],
								[
									"12",
									"1 {@creature gladiator} leading an ox, which is hauling a prison wagon that contains a {@creature medusa} wearing a burlap hood over her head and shackles on her wrists"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Table K: Travelers' Agenda",
							"colLabels": [
								"d10",
								"Heading to Baldur's Gate to..."
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"make money selling goods they consider exceptional"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"find a patron for a new artistic or business venture"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"warn the authorities of a possible threat to the city"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"seek innovations from the Church of Gond"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"buy goods that are illegal in other communities"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"resupply then head to a distant destination by sea"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"make money to travel elsewhere by land"
								],
								[
									"8",
									"start an innovative business venture"
								],
								[
									"9",
									"buy a rare text then travel on to Candlekeep"
								],
								[
									"10",
									"undertake a criminal venture with the Guild"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Table L: Monsters around Baldur's Gate",
							"colLabels": [
								"d12",
								"Encounter"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"{@dice 1d6} {@creature Werewolf||werewolves} disguised as human beggars or a pack of wolves"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"{@dice 2d4} {@creature Stirge||stirges}"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Ettercap||ettercaps} and {@dice 1d4} {@creature Giant Spider||giant spiders}"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"{@dice 3d6} {@creature Kobold||kobolds}"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"1 {@creature goblin boss} and {@dice 3d6} {@creature Goblin||goblins}"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"1 {@creature dryad} and {@dice 1d4} {@creature Sprite||sprites} lurking in a tree"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Ankheg||ankhegs} that burrow up from the ground"
								],
								[
									"8",
									"1 {@creature basilisk}"
								],
								[
									"9",
									"{@dice 1d4} {@creature Jackalwere||jackalweres} disguised as human beggars, entertainers, or merchants"
								],
								[
									"10",
									"1 {@creature hobgoblin captain} and {@dice 3d6} {@creature Hobgoblin||hobgoblins}"
								],
								[
									"11",
									"1 {@creature gnoll pack lord} and {@dice 3d6} {@creature Gnoll||gnolls}"
								],
								[
									"12",
									"1 {@creature wyvern}"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/122-u05el-06-11.webp"
							},
							"title": "Wyvern",
							"width": 905,
							"height": 1000
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Baldur's Gate Character Backgrounds",
					"page": 202,
					"id": "3c6",
					"entries": [
						"This section presents new backgrounds suitable for creating characters from Baldur's Gate, along with notes on adapting characters who have backgrounds drawn from the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}.",
						"This material is meant to be a tool for you, the DM. Once players have decided on their characters' backgrounds, review the material here. Some backgrounds have at least one new variant feature that ties the background to a group in Baldur's Gate, provided to give characters an additional connection to the city. Characters may choose to replace the standard feature of their background with one of these variant features. Each background also includes a bonus feature that marks a character as a native of Baldur's Gate who's familiar with the city\u2014both its streets and its scars. These additional features are referred to as \"Baldur's Gate features.\" While a character's background features are broadly useful, the effects of a Baldur's Gate feature can be used only while the character is in Baldur's Gate\u2014though, at the DM's discretion, they might have applicable effects in situations similar to those in Baldur's Gate. These location-based features do not replace other features; a character gains them merely for being familiar with Baldur's Gate. If a background presents multiple Baldur's Gate features, you gain all the features associated with that background, or as many of them as you wish to take.",
						"The \"{@area Dark Secrets|3ec|x}\" section presents a crime or sin that might force a party together or underlie their deeds. Once players have sorted out their individual backgrounds, give them the opportunity to choose a dark secret. This secret might have exciting or ominous ramifications as the party's adventures unfold.",
						{
							"type": "list",
							"items": [
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Acolyte|BGDIA|Acolyte}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Charlatan|BGDIA|Charlatan}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Criminal|BGDIA|Criminal}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Entertainer|BGDIA|Entertainer}",
								"{@background Faceless|BGDIA|Faceless (new background)}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Folk Hero|BGDIA|Folk Hero}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Guild Artisan|BGDIA|Guild Artisan}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Hermit|BGDIA|Hermit}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Noble|BGDIA|Noble}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Outlander|BGDIA|Outlander}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Sage|BGDIA|Sage}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Sailor|BGDIA|Sailor}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Soldier|BGDIA|Soldier}",
								"{@background Baldur's Gate Urchin|BGDIA|Urchin}"
							],
							"columns": 4
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Dark Secrets",
					"page": 208,
					"id": "3ec",
					"entries": [
						"During character creation, once players have developed their own characters, they should collectively choose a dark secret shared by the entire party. Every member of the party is entangled in this dark secret, regardless of how new they are to the city or how incorruptible their morals. Maybe they're merely witnesses, maybe they're covering for a friend's crimes, or maybe they're deep in denial. Regardless, in the eyes of the law, they're guilty. Each dark secret shares a number of elements. Players should work with you, the DM, to customize these particulars to their group.",
						"At least one NPC in Baldur's Gate knows the party's dark secret. Use the \"Who Knows?\" table to determine the identity of this NPC, or use another NPC of your choice. The NPC might use the information to blackmail the characters or push them toward a course of action.",
						{
							"type": "table",
							"caption": "Who Knows?",
							"colLabels": [
								"d8",
								"NPC"
							],
							"colStyles": [
								"col-2 text-center",
								"col-10"
							],
							"rows": [
								[
									"1",
									"Captain Zodge (see \"{@area Meeting Captain Zodge|01a|x}\")"
								],
								[
									"2",
									"{@creature Duke Thalamra Vanthampur|BGDIA}"
								],
								[
									"3",
									"{@creature Thurstwell Vanthampur|BGDIA}"
								],
								[
									"4",
									"{@creature Amrik Vanthampur|BGDIA}"
								],
								[
									"5",
									"{@creature Mortlock Vanthampur|BGDIA}"
								],
								[
									"6",
									"Falaster Fisk (see \"{@adventure Falaster Fisk|BGDIA|1|Falaster Fisk. The first prisoner is a short, lean, erudite male human in his fifties named Falaster Fisk. Originally from Calimshan, Falaster is a neutral {@creature spy} with no weapons. He speaks Common and Infernal, wears an ankle-length caftan, and has dark hair. His neatly trimmed goatee beard is dyed crimson.}\")"
								],
								[
									"7",
									"{@creature Nine-Fingers Keene|BGDIA}"
								],
								[
									"8",
									"Ultiss (see \"{@area Surprise! Dragon Cultists!|079|x}\")"
								]
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Conspiracy in Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 208,
							"id": "3ed",
							"entries": [
								"The characters are all that's left of a group that strove to change Baldur's Gate and failed. Now the city's leaders or other powerful figures seek to stamp out the last motes of their movement. Perhaps they were rebels, or members of a union or some clandestine organization. Regardless, their rivals didn't get where they are by being oblivious or merciful.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Conspiracy Details",
									"page": 208,
									"id": "3ee",
									"entries": [
										"Opportunities to subvert minds and deeds exist throughout Baldur's Gate. When an opportunity presented itself, the characters seized on one in particular. Define the particulars of their conspiracy, either by having the players craft their own or by rolling on the Conspiracy Details table.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Conspiracy Details",
											"colLabels": [
												"d4",
												"Conspiracy Details"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Working amid the High Hall's records, you came to realize just how little separated commoners from patriars. Slowly you worked to upend the old families' control over the city\u2014but then someone noticed."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"You knew something powerful lurked within Mandorcai's Mansion. You and others sought the tools and rites to prod the power within, to draw it out and make it yours. But what lies within the mansion refuses to ever serve again."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Too long has the Guild monopolized control over criminal operations in Baldur's Gate. You sought to add a little competition and break the Guild's monopoly. It was going well after your last heist, too\u2014until the Guild came for its cut."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"You and the other revolutionaries of Whitkeep Hostel sought nothing less than a new, egalitarian future for Baldur's Gate\u2014a future that neither the dukes nor the patriars can envision. Someone clearly had enough of your art and shouted slogans, though."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Roles in the Conspiracy",
									"page": 208,
									"id": "3ef",
									"entries": [
										"Each character plays a role in the conspiracy, determined by rolling on the Conspiracy: Character Roles table or choosing an appropriate entry.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Conspiracy: Character Roles",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Character's Role"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"{@b Leader}. Yours was the voice the others followed, the call they heeded, following you to their end."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"{@b Survivor}. You should have fallen with the rest of your group, but fate interceded. Now you're a loose end."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"{@b Partner}. You knew little of the conspiracy, but your partner, family member, or associate did. Now they're gone, and you're next."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"{@b Innocent}. You knew nothing of the conspiracy. That matters little to those stamping it out, though."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"{@b Affiliate}. You worked with the conspirators but weren't a member\u2014a detail that only matters to you."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"{@b Witness}. You got a glimpse of what happened to your fellow conspirators and the fate that awaits you."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Conspiracy Consequences",
									"page": 208,
									"id": "3f0",
									"entries": [
										"Determine the challenge currently facing the characters by rolling on the Conspiracy Consequences table below or by having the players devise other grim consequences of their conspiracy.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Conspiracy Consequences",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Conspiracy Consequences"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"The other members of your group were arrested, rightfully or otherwise. Now you're on the run."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Your group's meeting place burned, slaying all inside. Only by happenstance did you survive. You're sure it wasn't an accident, though."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"The other members of your group have been murdered, slain in some distinctive way."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"None of the other members of your conspiracy remember you or have any memory of being aligned with you."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"The other members of your group betrayed you to save themselves."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"The other conspirators vanished, disappearing one at a time and without a trace."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Murder in Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 209,
							"id": "3f1",
							"entries": [
								"There's blood on the characters' hands. They all had a part to play in a murder\u2014justified or not. Shared guilt, coercion, and fear keep the secret between them.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Murder Details",
									"page": 209,
									"id": "3f2",
									"entries": [
										"Did they kill for justice or just for the thrill? Define the particulars of the murder, either by letting the players craft their own or by rolling on the Murder Details table.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Murder Details",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Murder Details"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"She knew, which meant tomorrow every pastry-loving patriar in Baldur's Gate would too. The Upper City's most notorious gossip, Ellyn Harbreeze of Harbreeze Bakery, had to be dealt with. Who knew a bakery could be so dangerous?"
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Revenge will come for the sadistic Nysene Eomane eventually. You thought you'd have a hand in it\u2014you exacted your plan perfectly. But your snare caught another. Now Dolandre Eomane lies dead, while the intended target yet lives."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Doctor Holk Thinster jeopardized lives every night he worked at Cliffgate Hospital. Who knows how many were crippled on Thinster's table or died under his inexpert knife. For them, you put an end to Thinster's practice for good."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"The first step to healing is admitting you have a problem. The second is seeing your abusive dealer bleeding out on the floor. Jopalin, of the teahouse of the same name, had it coming, and you haven't felt the moonflower itch since."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"You were only protecting your own\u2014in a way. Olten Grinn of Cliffside Cemetery's Gravemakers was going to put a mace through your grandpappy's skull. You put one through his first. It was the right thing to do. After all, grandpappy never asked to be a ghoul."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"They should call it justice. Jedren Hiller, Bailiff of the Wide, had preyed on desperate business owners for years, growing fatter and richer every day. Fate gave you the opportunity. You're a hero, but no one cheered."
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/125-ungrs-06-14.webp"
											},
											"width": 624,
											"height": 1000
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Roles in the Murder",
									"page": 209,
									"id": "3f3",
									"entries": [
										"Each character plays a role in the murder, determined by rolling on the Murder: Character Roles table or choosing an appropriate entry.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Murder: Character Roles",
											"colLabels": [
												"d4",
												"Character's Role"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"{@b Murderer}. Via a blade, a shove, or deliberate inaction, you took a life."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"{@b Bystander}. You could have prevented a death. You chose not to."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"{@b Instigator}. You're the architect of someone's demise, your words spreading death."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"{@b Liar}. You know what happened, but didn't tell."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Murder Consequences",
									"page": 209,
									"id": "3f4",
									"entries": [
										"People are talking. Members of the Watch, the Flaming Fist, the Guild, or others are asking questions. If they find out what the characters did, their trial will be short and their deaths will be just. Determine the fallout of the characters' murderous deeds by rolling on the Murder Consequences table, or allow the players to create their own ominous stakes.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Murder Consequences",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Murder Consequences"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You're not sure who, but someone saw the murder and has turned your names over to the law. Now you're wanted fugitives, your faces and names plastered on posters throughout the city."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Someone associated with your victim wants revenge\u2014the sort the law won't provide."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Your victim won't stay dead, having fought their way back from death to take vengeance."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Your victim was a member of a larger organization, such as the Guild. This organization refuses to let the killing go unanswered."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Somehow, your victim is still alive and knows what you did. Now you've got to figure out how to put them down a second time."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Your victim's death ignited a social spark. Now you're being sought by mobs seeking to bring new justice to Baldur's Gate."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Theft in Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 210,
							"id": "3f5",
							"entries": [
								"The characters broke the law by stealing something valuable. The question is, did the characters perpetrate the theft because they needed or wanted something, or because they didn't want someone else to have it?",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Theft Details",
									"page": 210,
									"id": "3f6",
									"entries": [
										"Define the particulars of the party's theft, either by having the players craft their own or by rolling on the Theft Details table.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Theft Details",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Theft Details"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You did it for the prestige as much as the money. It took months to plan and even longer to get everyone into place. The High Hall is locked down tight every evening. Its crypts less so. Now a priceless treasure of the city, the spyglass of Balduran himself, is yours."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"With the help of an inside man, you purloined money from the Counting House, the most secure bank in Baldur's Gate. With the bank's reputation at stake, you know the Honorable Order of Moneylenders won't rest until the money is returned to its rightful owners and the thieves are brought to justice."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"Dangerous goods mean hazard pay. You stole four kegs of {@item smokepowder|WDH} from Felogyr's Fireworks and sold them to a gang of revolutionaries. Your pay is already spent, but the fireworks have yet to begin."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Stealing a night's worth of earnings from the Low Lantern, a ship-turned-tavern and gambling den, proved to be quite a feat. You didn't think you left any loose ends, but now a gang of kenku killers haunts your trail and your nightmares."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"It seemed like buried treasure\u2014a collection of strange, topaz-eyed statues hidden deep in the Riverveins. You absconded with them, but now the smugglers who stole them first want their booty back. They don't know who took them, but they know you're involved from a clue you inadvertently left behind."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Both the Guild and Little Calimshan's Right Pashas wanted it\u2014such a little thing, a vial that could hold no more than a few perfume drops. It spoke to you, though. You could hear it in your mind. You knew it needed to be free. But now that it is, you can't bring yourself to open it."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Roles in the Theft",
									"page": 210,
									"id": "3f7",
									"entries": [
										"Each character plays a role in the theft, determined by rolling on the Theft: Character Roles table or choosing an appropriate entry.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Theft: Character Roles",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Character's Role"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"{@b Breaker}. Force is your specialty, whether your breaking through a wall or breaking bones."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"{@b Burglar}. It was theirs, but all you had to do was reach out to make it yours."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"{@b Distraction}. While all eyes were on you, your friends were making off with the goods."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"{@b Lockpicker}. Every lock is just a puzzle to be mastered."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"{@b Lookout}. Watching out for trouble is the best way to avoid it."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"{@b Mole}. You knew the job inside out, particularly because you were on the inside all along."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Theft Consequences",
									"page": 210,
									"id": "3f8",
									"entries": [
										"Determine how the characters' heist turned out by rolling on the Theft Consequences or having the players determine the consequences of their dubious enterprise.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Theft Consequences",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Theft Consequences"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"The owner of what you stole got the authorities involved. Now they're offering a reward for your capture."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"Another group of thieves is after you now, trying to claim what you stole."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"What you stole wasn't what you thought. You want to get rid of it, but that's become a problem\u2014especially since it's grown, hatched, or started talking."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Everyone wants what you have. Multiple dangerous groups have approached you to buy it, and will be offended if you sell to anyone else."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"What you stole belonged to someone other than your intended mark. Now a deadly organization such as the Guild is after you."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"You were caught! The owner demands their property's return, threatening death or worse, but it's already been taken from you."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Failed Coup in Baldur's Gate",
							"page": 211,
							"id": "3f9",
							"entries": [
								"The characters schemed with others to seize power and failed, revealing their ambition and treachery. The dark deed can be something as small as attempting to gain control of a patriar house, to something on a much grander scale, such as trying to unseat a duke, seize control of the Guild, or topple the Flaming Fist.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Failed Coup Details",
									"page": 211,
									"id": "3fa",
									"entries": [
										"Define the particulars of the failed coup, either by having the players craft their own or by rolling on the Failed Coup Details table.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Failed Coup Details",
											"colLabels": [
												"d4",
												"Failed Coup Details"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"Your patriar parents seemed like relics. Their days of leading the family and its business holdings were long past. With the help of their partners, you sought to seize your family's holdings, but you underestimated the cunning that comes with age."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"A patriar promised you riches or something else of value if you helped remove Duke Dillard Portyr from power, creating a vacancy on the Council of Four. Your plot to blackmail the duke into retirement backfired when a rival of the treacherous patriar learned of the plot. Will the patriar give you up to save themselves?"
												],
												[
													"3",
													"{@creature Nine-Fingers Keene|BGDIA} thinks she has the Guild under her thumb, but various kingpins are plotting against her. The Guild will descend into violence unless it has a strong leader. You knew that Nine-Fingers wasn't going to step down willingly. Scaring her into retirement seemed like the only humane thing to do, but she refused to take the hint. Now she and the kingpins have it out for you."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"The Flaming Fist is corrupt. You turned against your commanding officer, seeking to take the Fist in a new direction. Now you're branded a traitor."
												]
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "image",
											"href": {
												"type": "internal",
												"path": "adventure/BGDIA/126-dx5pm-06-15.webp"
											},
											"width": 600,
											"height": 1000
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Roles in the Failed Coup",
									"page": 211,
									"id": "3fb",
									"entries": [
										"Each character plays a role in the failed coup, determined by rolling on the Failed Coup: Character Roles table or choosing an appropriate entry.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Failed Coup: Character Roles",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Character's Role"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"{@b Facilitator}. You wouldn't benefit directly from the new power structure, but you'd benefit enough."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"{@b Beneficiary}. This was your chance for glory. Your chance to rise above them all."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"{@b Voyeur}. You should have prevented the power grab from happening. Your inaction makes you culpable."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"{@b Opportunist}. You saw the opening and shared it with those who'd help you take advantage of the situation."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"{@b Patsy}. You might have been tricked into helping, but you helped all the same."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"{@b Traitor}. You'd been looking for chance to lay your ally or superior low. You thought this was it."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Failed Coup Consequences",
									"page": 211,
									"id": "3fc",
									"entries": [
										"Those opposed to the attempted coup didn't take the characters' treachery lightly. Determine how the coup's intended target turned the tables on the characters by rolling on the Failed Coup Consequences table or crafting some worse situation.",
										{
											"type": "table",
											"caption": "Failed Coup Consequences",
											"colLabels": [
												"d6",
												"Failed Coup Consequences"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1",
													"You've been ousted by the same group you sought to subvert. They've taken everything from you, and they plan to take more."
												],
												[
													"2",
													"The whole opportunity was a set-up! Now your former target is conducting a campaign of retribution against you."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"You were a moment too late. A rival swept in and deposed your target. Now you're all that stands between them and total control."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"Your target had allies you didn't realize\u2014interests from outside the city that now seek reprisal."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Your efforts were rebuked handily. You didn't realize your target had such a weapon at their disposal, but now they're using it to hunt you down."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"One of your own ratted you out. Now you're all being hunted, but one of you is a traitor among traitors."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix A: Diabolical Deals",
			"page": 212,
			"id": "3fd",
			"entries": [
				"A hallmark of devils is their delight in striking deals with mortals. These deals are more than mere agreements; they are cosmically binding exchanges in which a devil grants a mortal character some measure of power for a price. Once an agreement is reached, the deal is sealed with a binding contract, which both parties must sign.",
				"A devil's ultimate goal is to claim mortal souls. If it can't get a mortal's soul in one fell swoop, the devil tries to take it one little piece at a time by encouraging the mortal to commit evil acts and thereby condemning the mortal's soul to the Nine Hells.",
				"Infernal deals are enforced by the weight of the multiverse itself, by the very essence of the forces of Law and Evil. Devils channel this essence through the infernal hierarchy that governs their existence. Devils higher up in the hierarchy can leverage more potent deals and offer more enticing gifts.",
				"Least devils can't enter into deals. Lesser and greater devils can enter into deals either for themselves or as an intermediary for their infernal superiors. Archdevils are the only devils able to freely deal with creatures outside the Nine Hells, usually when mortals invoke them to beg their favor.",
				{
					"type": "entries",
					"name": "Entering into a Deal",
					"page": 212,
					"id": "3fe",
					"entries": [
						"Despite their thirst for trapping mortal souls in binding contracts, devils can enter into deals only in specific circumstances. The easiest way for a devil to forge a deal is to do so within the Nine Hells, where it's closer to the infernal hierarchy and can more easily channel its power. Elsewhere in the multiverse, most devils are too removed from their power structure to enter into binding deals without some extraordinary circumstances.",
						"A deal consists of a proposal that covers the terms each party expects, and a contract that seals the deal and makes it binding.",
						"Lesser and greater devils can't freely make deals outside of their home plane, but there are ways it can be done. If a summoner on another plane knows a devil's true name or has its talisman (as described in \"Devil True Names and Talismans\" in the {@book Monster Manual|MM}), instead of binding the devil into service, the summoner can create a ritual circle that allows the devil to forge a deal. Once the deal is sealed with a contract, the devil returns to the Nine Hells.",
						"An archdevil who wishes to make a deal with a character can do so in person or send a minion to propose the deal and negotiate on its behalf. A character can also contact an archdevil by killing a chaotic- or good-aligned humanoid and praying to the archdevil over the course of 1 hour. The archdevil hears the character's prayer and can choose to respond in dreams or visions, or it can send a minion with the authority to make a deal on its behalf.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Infernal Hierarchy",
							"page": 212,
							"id": "3ff",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "table",
									"colLabels": [
										"Least Devils"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1.",
											"{@creature Lemure}"
										],
										[
											"2.",
											"{@creature Nupperibo|MTF}"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"colLabels": [
										"Lesser Devils"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"3.",
											"{@creature Imp}"
										],
										[
											"4.",
											"{@creature Spined devil}"
										],
										[
											"5.",
											"{@creature Bearded devil}"
										],
										[
											"6.",
											"{@creature Merregon|MTF}"
										],
										[
											"7.",
											"{@creature Barbed devil}"
										],
										[
											"8.",
											"{@creature Chain devil}"
										],
										[
											"9.",
											"{@creature Bone devil}"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"colLabels": [
										"Greater Devils"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"10.",
											"{@creature Orthon|MTF}"
										],
										[
											"11.",
											"{@creature Horned devil}"
										],
										[
											"12.",
											"{@creature Erinyes}"
										],
										[
											"13.",
											"{@creature Narzugon|MTF}"
										],
										[
											"14.",
											"{@creature Ice devil}"
										],
										[
											"15.",
											"{@creature Amnizu|MTF}"
										],
										[
											"16.",
											"{@creature Pit fiend}"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "table",
									"colLabels": [
										"Archdevils"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"17.",
											"Duke or duchess"
										],
										[
											"18.",
											"Archduke or archduchess"
										]
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "entries",
					"name": "Proposal",
					"page": 212,
					"id": "400",
					"entries": [
						"Diabolical deals start with either the devil or the character broaching the subject and offering something. The terms of the deal require, at a minimum, the devil to offer a gift and the character to agree to a price. If the terms aren't acceptable to either party, they can negotiate and try to sweeten the deal by offering more valuable terms, or simply walk away. Not every deal is meant to be.",
						"If the price is anything less than the character's soul, a devil often stipulates a penalty in the event the character fails to meet the deal's price.",
						"Once both parties agree to the terms, they seal the deal with a physical contract, which can take one of many forms (see \"{@area Infernal Contracts|40a|x}\").",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ability Checks and Deal-Making",
							"page": 212,
							"id": "401",
							"entries": [
								"Most deals with devils can be resolved without rolling dice to determine the outcome. A Charisma check can't deceive or persuade most devils into a bad deal because the fiends are too clever and experienced in deal-making to be fooled. If devils do get involved in a deal that sounds too good to be true or is confusing, they're likely to pause negotiations while they ask smarter devils for their opinions on the deal.",
								"The following ability checks can be made during deal-making:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"If a devil attempts to deceive a character at the deal-making stage, the devil can make a Charisma ({@skill Deception}) check opposed by the character's Wisdom ({@skill Insight}) check. If the character's check result is higher than the devil's, the character sees through the devil's deception.",
										"Devils like to slip extra clauses into the fine print of a contract. When this happens, a character who can read Infernal can make an Intelligence ({@skill Investigation}) check opposed by the devil's Charisma ({@skill Deception}) check. If the character's check result is higher than the devil's, the character detects the extra clauses in the fine print and can have them removed before the contract is signed."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "image",
									"href": {
										"type": "internal",
										"path": "adventure/BGDIA/127-i0cx5-a-01.webp"
									},
									"width": 1000,
									"height": 651
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "entries",
					"name": "What Devils Want",
					"page": 213,
					"id": "402",
					"entries": [
						"A devil wants souls, as every soul that it acquires brings the devil one step closer to its next promotion. If a character wants something from a devil but isn't willing to trade their soul, the devil might ask the character to perform a service for it instead. Archdevils are also fond of making mortals swear fealty to them.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Souls",
							"page": 213,
							"id": "403",
							"entries": [
								"When characters give up their souls to devils, they are promising to serve in the Nine Hells as devils themselves after death. Once promised to a devil, a character's soul can't be claimed by another creature."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Services",
							"page": 213,
							"id": "404",
							"entries": [
								"A devil that can't claim a character's soul might demand a service by way of compensation. Such services drive the character toward committing evil or morally questionable acts designed to make the character more amenable to darker deals in the future. Here are a few examples:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Without using magical coercion, the character must convince another mortal to enter into an infernal contract with the devil.",
										"The character is told about a plague, an invasion, or other calamity that the devil has orchestrated, but must do nothing to affect the outcome.",
										"The character must steal a holy relic from a good-aligned temple and deliver it to the devil or one of its subordinates."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Fealty (Archdevils)",
							"page": 213,
							"id": "405",
							"entries": [
								"Archdevils prize fealty almost as much as souls. One way in which a mortal can demonstrate fealty to an archdevil is to lead a religious cult devoted to the archdevil or perform heinous acts in the archdevil's name. A character can also enter into an agreement to serve the archdevil as a warlock. Such a character must take at least one level in the warlock class, choosing {@class Warlock||the Fiend|Fiend} (represented in this case by the archdevil) as their otherworldly patron."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "entries",
					"name": "What Devils Offer",
					"page": 213,
					"id": "406",
					"entries": [
						"The limits of what a devil can offer are determined by its status in the infernal hierarchy. The {@area Infernal Hierarchy table|3ff|x} lists devils in ascending order of power, from lowly lemures to the mighty archdukes and archduchesses. (The orthon is included in this table for the sake of completeness, though orthons don't appear in this adventure or in the {@book Monster Manual|MM}. You can find out more about them in {@book Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes|MTF}.)",
						"Devils like to tempt mortals with treasure and magic items. Magic items bestowed by devils usually have a devilish cast to them. They're made of infernal iron, bear Infernal script, give off faint wails of torment, smell of brimstone, or have some other telltale sign (see the {@table Special Features; What Quirk Does It Have||What Quirk Does It Have? table} in chapter 7 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} for examples).",
						"Devils might also agree to serve mortals for a time, acting as advisors and bodyguards.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Lesser Devils",
							"page": 214,
							"id": "407",
							"entries": [
								"A lesser devil can offer any or all of the following:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Up to 500 gp worth of art objects, coins, or gems",
										"An uncommon magic item",
										"Loyal service for a period not exceeding nine years"
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Greater Devils",
							"page": 214,
							"id": "408",
							"entries": [
								"A greater devil can offer any or all of the following:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Up to 5,000 gp worth of art objects, coins, or gems",
										"An uncommon or rare magic item",
										"Loyal service for a period not exceeding nine days"
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Archdevils",
							"page": 214,
							"id": "409",
							"entries": [
								"An archdevil can offer any or all of the following:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"Up to 50,000 gp worth of art objects, coins, gems, or property",
										"An uncommon, rare, or very rare magic item",
										"A valuable piece of information that can't be acquired by any other means",
										"A single task that the archdevil or one of its minions can complete within the next nine days",
										"A supernatural gift manifesting as a charm (see \"{@book Supernatural Gifts|DMG|7|Supernatural Gifts}\" in chapter 7 of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} and \"{@area Archdevil Charms|414|x}\")",
										"The benefit of a {@spell wish} spell (with no {@condition exhaustion} for using an effect other than duplicating another spell)"
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "entries",
					"name": "Infernal Contracts",
					"page": 214,
					"id": "40a",
					"entries": [
						"Once the devil and the character agree to the terms of a deal, the agreement must be sealed with a contract, which the devil can produce as an action. The contract often appears in some theatrical manner; for example, it might arrive in a puff of smoke, accompanied by a fiendish cackle or an imp waving a sparkler.",
						"Contracts take a variety of forms, with the terms of the deal written out in Infernal, and are made binding in one of several ways, ranging from a simple signature to a revolting act. Once all concerned parties perform the actions necessary to enter the contract, the deal is struck. The character who struck the deal gains the benefits of the devil's gift and is bound to pay the price.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Breach of Contract",
							"page": 214,
							"id": "40b",
							"entries": [
								"A character bound by an infernal contract who fails to pay the price specified in the contract immediately suffers a penalty for breaching the contract, as specified in the contract itself. Common penalties include the following:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"The character's soul is forfeit when the character dies (that is, the character is reborn in the Nine Hells as a lemure).",
										"The character loses all monetary wealth and property, or a powerful magic item (determined by the DM), to the devil.",
										"The character grows horns, a tail, or some other devilish features that can't be removed by any means short of divine intervention (though illusions or disguises can conceal them). As long as these marks persist, the character detects as a fiend when subjected to {@spell detect evil and good} spells or similar magic.",
										"The character gains a new flaw. A character who exhibits behavior inconsistent with this flaw has disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until the behavior changes to match the flaw."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Voiding a Contract",
							"page": 214,
							"id": "40c",
							"entries": [
								"Voiding an infernal contract releases all parties from its terms without penalty, as if the deal never happened. Any gifts or prices revert immediately, though some contracts might leave a scar or other lasting effect.",
								"The devil and the character who signed the contract must both agree to void the terms of the contract. As an action, the devil magically produces the contract. When both parties state their agreement to terminate it, the contract crumbles to dust and is destroyed.",
								"Devils require compensation in exchange for voiding a contract. Some cowardly devils might be willing to void a contract in exchange for their lives, but most would rather risk death than demotion to a lower form of devil and the scorn of its peers.",
								"A devil might be persuaded to void a contract in exchange for one of the following:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"One or more {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} (lesser devils will often settle for three, greater devils for nine, and archdevils have no interest in such a paltry alternative)",
										"An exorbitant sum of gold plus the sacrifice of many humanoids in the devil's name",
										"A powerful artifact, such as the {@item Hand of Vecna} or the {@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}"
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Contract Forms",
							"page": 214,
							"id": "40d",
							"entries": [
								"The Contract Forms table has examples of different forms of infernal contracts. The sections that follow the table describe the various contracts and the means by which they can be destroyed and voided.",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Contract Forms",
									"colLabels": [
										"d6",
										"Contract Form"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-10"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"Baby dolls"
										],
										[
											"2",
											"Damned wretch"
										],
										[
											"3",
											"Infernal scroll"
										],
										[
											"4",
											"Lemure kiss"
										],
										[
											"5",
											"Song of the devil"
										],
										[
											"6",
											"Written in stone"
										]
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Baby Dolls",
									"page": 214,
									"id": "40e",
									"entries": [
										"The devil produces two baby dolls made of dirty rags or rotting wood. The dolls recite the deal in high-pitched voices (in Infernal) and spew blood when they are hugged. To enter the contract, the devil and the character making the deal must each hug a doll. When the contract is finalized, the devil keeps one doll and the character keeps the other.",
										"To void such a contract, each doll must be destroyed within 1 minute of the other. Failure to destroy the second doll in the allotted time causes the first doll to re-form after 1 minute. Each doll is a Tiny object with AC 9, 9 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Damned Wretch",
									"page": 214,
									"id": "40f",
									"entries": [
										"A portal opens, and a humanoid bound in chains with its eyes and mouth sewn shut stumbles through it. This individual is likely someone who breached their own infernal contract and is now paying the price. The terms of the deal are carved into the poor wretch's skin. To enter the contract, the devil and the character who made the deal carves their names into the wretch, who is then promptly banished.",
										"Use the {@creature commoner} stat block to represent the wretch, who is {@condition blinded} while its eyes are sewn shut. Once the contract is signed by both parties, the wretch no longer ages or needs food, drink, air, or sleep, and it gains immunity to all damage that isn't dealt by the devil or the character who made the deal. If the wretch dies, the contract is void."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Infernal Scroll",
									"page": 215,
									"id": "410",
									"entries": [
										"The devil produces a vellum scroll with the deal written on it in blood. To enter the contract, the devil and the character making the deal sign the scroll in their own blood, or that of a humanoid who has been dead for no longer than 1 minute. Immediately after it's signed by both parties, the contract vanishes to a secure location in the Nine Hells.",
										"Burning the scroll voids the contract. It's immune to all other damage and harm."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Lemure Kiss",
									"page": 215,
									"id": "411",
									"entries": [
										"The devil summons a {@creature lemure} with the deal printed in glowing runes on its lumpy flesh. To enter the contract, the devil and character making the deal and must kiss the lemure. When that happens, the lemure is transformed into a stone statue with the deal visible on the surface. The statue then vanishes to the depths of the Nine Hells.",
										"The statue is a Medium object with AC 17, 50 hit points, and immunity to all damage except radiant damage. No spell can turn it back into a lemure. Destroying the statue voids the contract."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Song of the Devil",
									"page": 215,
									"id": "412",
									"entries": [
										"The devil produces sheet music with the deal written on it. To enter the contract, the devil and the character making the deal must sing or play the discordant song, which remains stuck in their heads until the deal is fulfilled.",
										"Soaking the sheet music in holy water destroys and voids the contract, and causes the character and the devil to lose the ability to speak. A {@spell greater restoration} spell or similar magic ends the effect on its recipient."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Written in Stone",
									"page": 215,
									"id": "413",
									"entries": [
										"A swell of lava oozes from a crack in the ground and quickly cools into rock. The deal appears as glowing script on the hardening lava. To enter the contract, the devil and the character making the deal must each place their left hand into the lava, which doesn't harm them, and leave a hand-shaped imprint in the stone. The slab of cooled lava then vanishes to a place of safekeeping.",
										"If the left hands of both the devil and the character who struck the deal are severed and placed into the handprints, the hands and the contract are destroyed, which also voids the contract."
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "entries",
					"name": "Archdevil Charms",
					"page": 215,
					"id": "414",
					"entries": [
						"Charms are supernatural gifts described in {@book chapter 7|DMG|7|Charms} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG}. Archdevils and their appointed vassals can bestow such gifts on mortals, usually to entice them into signing an infernal contract. This section describes several new charms that archdevils and their vassals can bestow.",
						{
							"type": "list",
							"columns": 3,
							"items": [
								"{@reward Charm of Agelessness|BGDIA}",
								"{@reward Charm of Diabolical Inspiration|BGDIA}",
								"{@reward Charm of Greater Conscription|BGDIA}",
								"{@reward Charm of Hellish Rebuke|BGDIA}",
								"{@reward Charm of Lesser Conscription|BGDIA}",
								"{@reward Charm of Many Tongues|BGDIA}",
								"{@reward Charm of the Adamant|BGDIA}"
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix B: Infernal War Machines",
			"page": 216,
			"id": "41c",
			"entries": [
				"Infernal war machines are vehicles built in the Nine Hells and fueled by the souls of the damned. Smaller war machines carry raiding parties or scouts. Larger, more menacing war machines can crush entire hordes of demons or deliver shock troops behind enemy lines.",
				"Infernal war machines are made of infernal iron and bristle with spikes, blades, chains, and siege weapons. An infernal war machine's engine roars a bass, growling rumble with an undertone of agonized screams as its furnace burns souls for fuel.",
				"This appendix includes stat blocks for infernal war machines, rules for running and repairing them, and guidelines for handling chases in Avernus.",
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Stat Blocks",
					"page": 216,
					"id": "41d",
					"entries": [
						"Stat blocks for four sample infernal war machines are presented in this appendix. An infernal war machine's statistics function like those for creatures, with the following additional considerations.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Creature and Cargo Capacity",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "41e",
							"entries": [
								"Creature capacity describes how many creatures can ride the infernal war machine comfortably. More creatures can fit by squeezing or by clinging to the outside of the vehicle.",
								"Cargo capacity specifies how much cargo the infernal war machine can carry."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Armor Class",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "41f",
							"entries": [
								"An infernal war machine is typically made of infernal iron and has an Armor Class of 19 + its Dexterity modifier. While the vehicle is not moving, attack rolls made against it have advantage."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Ability Scores",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "420",
							"entries": [
								"An infernal war machine has the six ability scores and corresponding modifiers. Its size and weight determines its Strength. Dexterity represents its handling and maneuverability. A vehicle's Constitution reflects its durability and quality of construction. Infernal war machines usually have a score of 0 in Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.",
								"If an infernal war machine has a 0 in a score, it automatically fails any ability check or saving throw that uses that score."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Hit Points",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "421",
							"entries": [
								"An infernal war machine's hit points can be restored by making repairs to the vehicle (see \"{@area Repairs|435|x}\"). When an infernal war machine drops to 0 hit points, it ceases to function and is damaged beyond repair, and any souls trapped in the vehicle's furnace are released to the afterlife (see \"{@area Soul Fuel|42d|x}\").",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Damage Threshold",
									"page": 216,
									"id": "422",
									"entries": [
										"Infernal war machines have bulk or armor that allows them to shrug off minor hits. A vehicle with a damage threshold has immunity to all damage unless it takes an amount of damage equal to or greater than its damage threshold value, in which case it takes damage as normal. Any damage that fails to meet or exceed the vehicle's damage threshold is considered superficial and doesn't reduce the vehicle's hit points."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Mishap Threshold",
									"page": 216,
									"id": "423",
									"entries": [
										"If an infernal war machine takes damage from a single source equal to or greater than its mishap threshold, it must roll on the Mishaps table (see \"{@area Mishaps|433|x}\")."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Actions Stations and Crew",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "424",
							"entries": [
								"An infernal war machine doesn't have actions of its own. It relies on crew to occupy stations and use their actions to operate the vehicle's various functions. Any option that appears in the Action Stations section of an infernal war machine's stat block requires an action to perform."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Rules",
					"page": 216,
					"id": "425",
					"entries": [
						"Rules for infernal war machines are summarized below.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Magical Elements",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "426",
							"entries": [
								"An infernal war machine's engine, furnace, and weapons are magical and become inoperable within an {@spell antimagic field}. When the engine or furnace comes into contact with such an effect, the infernal war machine shuts down and can't be restarted until both the engine and the furnace are free of the field."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Opportunity Attacks",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "427",
							"entries": [
								"Infernal war machines provoke opportunity attacks as normal. When an infernal war machine provokes an opportunity attack, the attacker can target the vehicle or any creature riding on or inside it that doesn't have total cover and is within reach."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Action Stations",
							"page": 216,
							"id": "428",
							"entries": [
								"A creature can use an action of the station it's occupying. Once a creature uses a station's action, that action can't be used again until the start of that creature's next turn. Only one creature can occupy each station.",
								"A creature not occupying an action station is either in a passenger seat or clinging to the outside of the vehicle. It can take actions as normal.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Helm",
									"page": 216,
									"id": "429",
									"entries": [
										"The helm of an infernal war machine is a chair with a wheel, levers, pedals, and other controls. The helm requires a driver to operate. An infernal war machine with no driver automatically fails Dexterity saving throws.",
										"A driver proficient with land vehicles can add its proficiency bonus to ability checks and saving throws made using the infernal war machine's ability scores.",
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Drive",
											"page": 217,
											"id": "42a",
											"entries": [
												"While the infernal war machine's engine is on, the driver can use an action to propel the vehicle up to its speed or bring the vehicle to a dead stop. While the vehicle is moving, the driver can steer it along any course.",
												"If the driver is {@condition incapacitated}, leaves the helm, or does nothing to alter the infernal war machine's course and speed, the vehicle moves in the same direction and at the same speed as it did during the driver's last turn until it hits an obstacle big enough to stop it."
											]
										},
										{
											"type": "entries",
											"name": "Bonus Actions",
											"page": 217,
											"id": "42b",
											"entries": [
												"As a bonus action, the driver can do one of the following:",
												{
													"type": "list",
													"items": [
														"Start the infernal war machine's engine or shut it off.",
														"Cause the infernal war machine to take the {@action Dash} or {@action Disengage} action while the vehicle's engine is running.",
														"Insert a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} or pour a flask of demon ichor into the engine's furnace (see \"{@area Soul Fuel|42d|x}\" and \"{@area Demon Ichor Boost|42e|x}\" below)."
													]
												}
											]
										}
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Weapon Stations",
									"page": 217,
									"id": "42c",
									"entries": [
										"Each of an infernal war machine's weapons takes up a station on the vehicle.",
										"One weapon can be replaced with another (see \"{@area Alternative Weapon Stations|43d|x}\"), provided the crew requirement needed to operate the replacement weapon is the same."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Soul Fuel",
							"page": 217,
							"id": "42d",
							"entries": [
								"The engine at the heart of every infernal war machine has a furnace fueled by {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins}. Among the vehicle's helm controls is a narrow slot into which {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} can be fed. {@item Soul Coin|BGDIA|soul coins} placed in this slot tumble into the furnace, which is two size categories smaller than the vehicle containing it.",
								"An infernal war machine's furnace consumes a {@item soul coin|BGDIA} instantly, expending all the coin's remaining charges at once and destroying the coin in the process. The soul trapped in the coin becomes trapped in the furnace instead, powering the infernal war machine for a duration determined by how many charges the {@item soul coin|BGDIA} had when it was consumed: 1 charge, 24 hours; 2 charges, 48 hours; 3 charges, 72 hours. If it's still trapped in the furnace when this duration ends, the soul is destroyed. Not even divine intervention can restore a soul destroyed in this manner.",
								"Regardless of its size, a furnace can hold any number of souls, their screams of anguish audible out to a range of 60 feet. Each new soul fed to the furnace adds more fuel to the vehicle, allowing it to run longer."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Demon Ichor Boost",
							"page": 217,
							"id": "42e",
							"entries": [
								"Pouring a flask of demon ichor into an infernal war machine's furnace increases the vehicle's speed by 30 feet for 1 minute. While the vehicle's speed is increased in this way, roll a {@dice d20} at the start of each of the driver's turns. On a 1, the vehicle suffers the Furnace Rupture result on the Mishaps table (see \"{@area Mishaps|433|x}\")."
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "list",
							"items": [
								"{@vehicle Devil's Ride|BGDIA}",
								"{@vehicle Tormentor|BGDIA}",
								"{@vehicle Demon Grinder|BGDIA}",
								"{@vehicle Scavenger|BGDIA}"
							],
							"columns": 2
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Mishaps",
							"page": 220,
							"id": "433",
							"entries": [
								"Roll on the Mishaps table when one of the following occurs to an infernal war machine while it's in motion:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"The infernal war machine takes damage from a single source equal to or greater than its mishap threshold.",
										"The infernal war machine fails an ability check (or its driver fails an ability check using the vehicle's ability) by more than 5."
									]
								},
								"If a mishap has a repair DC, the mishap can be ended by making repairs to the vehicle (see \"{@area Repairs|435|x}\" below).",
								{
									"type": "table",
									"caption": "Mishaps",
									"colLabels": [
										"d20",
										"Mishap",
										"Repair DC"
									],
									"colStyles": [
										"col-2 text-center",
										"col-8",
										"col-2 text-center"
									],
									"rows": [
										[
											"1",
											"{@b Engine Flare}. Fire erupts from the engine and engulfs the vehicle. Any creature that starts its turn on or inside the vehicle takes 10 ({@dice 3d6}) fire damage until this mishap ends.",
											"15 (Dex)"
										],
										[
											"2\u20134",
											"{@b Locked Steering}. The vehicle can move in a straight line only. It automatically fails Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws until this mishap ends.",
											"15 (Str)"
										],
										[
											"5\u20137",
											"{@b Furnace Rupture}. The vehicle's speed decreases by 30 feet until this mishap ends.",
											"15 (Str)"
										],
										[
											"8\u201310",
											"{@b Weapon Malfunction}. One of the vehicle's weapons (DM's choice) can't be used until this mishap ends. If the vehicle has no functioning weapons, no mishap occurs.",
											"20 (Str)"
										],
										[
											"11\u201313",
											"{@b Blinding Smoke}. The helm station fills with smoke and is heavily obscured until this mishap ends. Any creature in the helm station is {@condition blinded} by the smoke.",
											"15 (Dex)"
										],
										[
											"14\u201316",
											"{@b Shedding Armor}. The vehicle's damage threshold is reduced by 10 until this mishap ends.",
											"15 (Str)"
										],
										[
											"17\u201319",
											"{@b Damaged Axle}. The vehicle grinds and shakes uncontrollably. Until the mishap ends, the vehicle has disadvantage on all Dexterity checks, and all ability checks and attack rolls made by creatures on or inside the vehicle have disadvantage.",
											"20 (Dex)"
										],
										[
											"20",
											"{@b Flip}. The vehicle flips over, falls {@condition prone}, and comes to a dead stop in an unoccupied space. Any unsecured creature holding on to the outside of the vehicle must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be thrown off, landing {@condition prone} in a random unoccupied space within 20 feet of the overturned vehicle. Creatures inside the vehicle fall {@condition prone} and must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 10 ({@dice 3d6}) bludgeoning damage.",
											"None"
										]
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Vehicular Exhaustion",
							"page": 220,
							"id": "434",
							"entries": [
								"The harsh conditions of the Nine Hells can cause an infernal war machine to stop functioning properly, until it eventually breaks down. Such wear and tear can be represented using {@condition exhaustion}, as described in {@condition exhaustion||appendix A} of the {@book Player's Handbook|PHB}, with these modifications:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"When an infernal war machine reaches {@condition exhaustion} level 6, its hit points drop to 0, and the vehicle breaks down.",
										"The only way to remove the effects of {@condition exhaustion} on an infernal war machine is to repair the vehicle."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Repairs",
							"page": 220,
							"id": "435",
							"entries": [
								"When an infernal war machine is damaged, suffers a mishap, or gains one or more levels of {@condition exhaustion}, a creature can attempt to make repairs to the vehicle. The creature making the repairs must meet the following criteria:",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"The creature can't operate the vehicle's helm or one of its weapon stations while making repairs.",
										"The creature must be within reach of the damaged area in need of repair.",
										"The creature must have the right tools for the job ({@item smith's tools|PHB} or {@item tinker's tools|PHB}, for example)."
									]
								},
								"Before beginning repairs, a creature must decide whether the repairs are aimed at ending a mishap, removing a level of {@condition exhaustion}, or restoring the damaged vehicle's hit points. Each option is discussed below.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "End a Mishap",
									"page": 220,
									"id": "436",
									"entries": [
										"A creature can use its action to make an ability check based on the nature of the mishap (see the {@area Mishaps|433|x} table), with disadvantage if the vehicle is moving. The creature adds its proficiency bonus to the check if it's proficient with the tools used to make the repairs. A successful check ends the mishap. A mishap with no repair DC can't be repaired."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Remove Exhaustion",
									"page": 220,
									"id": "437",
									"entries": [
										"If the infernal war machine has one or more levels of {@condition exhaustion}, a creature can spend 1 hour or more trying to reduce the vehicle's {@condition exhaustion} level. The vehicle must be stationary, and the creature must have spare parts to make the necessary repairs. After 1 hour of repair work, the creature makes a DC 15 Intelligence check, adding its proficiency bonus to the check if it's proficient with the tools used to make repairs. If the check succeeds, the vehicle's {@condition exhaustion} level decreases by 1. If the check fails, the vehicle's {@condition exhaustion} level remains unchanged, though the repair can be attempted again using the same replacement parts."
									]
								},
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Restore Hit Points",
									"page": 220,
									"id": "438",
									"entries": [
										"If the infernal war machine has taken damage but has at least 1 hit point, a creature can spend 1 hour or more trying to patch the hull and replace damaged parts. The vehicle must be stationary, and the creature must have the spare parts to make the necessary repairs. After 1 hour of repair work, the creature makes a DC 15 Dexterity check, adding its proficiency bonus to the check if it's proficient with the tools used to make repairs. If the check succeeds, the vehicle regains {@dice 2d4 + 2} hit points. If the check fails, the vehicle regains no hit points, but the repair can be attempted again using the same replacement parts."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Crashing",
							"page": 221,
							"id": "439",
							"entries": [
								"When an infernal war machine crashes into something that could reasonably damage it, such as an iron wall or another vehicle of its size or bigger, the infernal war machine comes to a sudden stop and takes {@dice 1d6} bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it moved since its last turn (maximum {@dice 20d6}). Whatever the vehicle struck takes the same amount of damage. If this damage is less than the infernal war machine's damage threshold, the vehicle takes no damage from the crash.",
								"Regardless of whether or not the infernal war machine takes damage, each creature on or inside the vehicle when it crashes must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw, taking {@dice 1d6} bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet the vehicle moved since its last turn (maximum {@dice 20d6}), or half as much damage on a successful save.",
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Crashing into Creatures",
									"page": 221,
									"id": "43a",
									"entries": [
										"An infernal war machine can crash into a creature by entering its space. The creature can use its reaction to attempt to get out of the vehicle's way, doing so and taking no damage with a successful DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. If the saving throw fails, the vehicle slams into the creature and deals {@dice 1d6} bludgeoning damage to the creature for every 10 feet the vehicle moved since its last turn (maximum {@dice 20d6}).",
										"An infernal war machine that is at least two size categories bigger than the creature it crashed into can continue moving through that creature's space if the infernal war machine has any movement left. Otherwise, the vehicle comes to a sudden stop, and each creature on or inside the infernal war machine when it crashes must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw, taking {@dice 1d6} bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet the vehicle moved since its last turn (maximum {@dice 20d6}), or half as much damage on a successful save."
									]
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Falling",
							"page": 221,
							"id": "43b",
							"entries": [
								"When an infernal war machine goes over a cliff or otherwise falls, the vehicle and all creatures on or inside it take damage from the fall as normal ({@dice 1d6} bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen, maximum {@dice 20d6}) and land {@condition prone}."
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Fiendish Variations",
					"page": 221,
					"id": "43c",
					"entries": [
						"Devils work tirelessly to create new and more powerful engines of war to stem the demonic tides flowing out of the Abyss. In addition, infernal war machines can be equipped with more unusual weapons and armor.",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Alternative Weapon Stations",
							"page": 221,
							"id": "43d",
							"entries": [
								"One weapon station can be switched for another, but the infernal war machine can't have more weapon stations than it normally has. A handful of alternative weapon stations are described in this section.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"{@vehupgrade Acidic Bile Sprayer|BGDIA}",
										"{@vehupgrade Flamethrower|BGDIA}",
										"{@vehupgrade Infernal Screamer|BGDIA}",
										"{@vehupgrade Styx Sprayer|BGDIA}"
									],
									"columns": 4
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Armor Upgrades",
							"page": 221,
							"id": "446",
							"entries": [
								"An infernal war machine can receive one armor upgrade. Sample upgrades are described below.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"{@vehupgrade Canian Armor|BGDIA}",
										"{@vehupgrade Gilded Death Armor|BGDIA}",
										"{@vehupgrade Soul Spike Armor|BGDIA}"
									],
									"columns": 3
								}
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"name": "Magical Gadgets",
							"page": 222,
							"id": "44a",
							"entries": [
								"Devils like to bedeck their infernal war machines with fiendish gadgets to bedevil foes. Such gadgets are usually activated from the helm station.",
								{
									"type": "list",
									"items": [
										"{@vehupgrade Necrotic Smoke Screen|BGDIA}",
										"{@vehupgrade Teleporter|BGDIA}"
									],
									"columns": 2
								}
							]
						}
					]
				},
				{
					"type": "section",
					"name": "Chases on Avernus",
					"page": 222,
					"id": "44d",
					"entries": [
						"Using the guidelines in {@book chapter 8|DMG|8|Chases} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|DMG} and the Avernus Chase Complications table, you can build a chase that incorporates hazards unique to Avernus. Use an infernal war machine's Constitution modifier to determine how many times it can Dash during a chase.",
						"When a chase complication forces the vehicle to make an ability check, or the driver to make an ability check using the vehicle's ability, a mishap occurs if the check fails by 5 or more (see \"{@area Mishaps|433|x}\").",
						{
							"type": "entries",
							"id": "44e",
							"entries": [
								{
									"type": "entries",
									"name": "Avernus Chase Complications",
									"page": 222,
									"id": "44f",
									"entries": [
										{
											"type": "table",
											"colLabels": [
												"d20",
												"Complication"
											],
											"colStyles": [
												"col-2 text-center",
												"col-10"
											],
											"rows": [
												[
													"1\u20132",
													"You drive past a creature native to Avernus, and it chases after you. The DM chooses the creature."
												],
												[
													"3",
													"A fire tornado, 300 feet high and 30 feet wide at its base, crosses your path. The vehicle avoids the tornado with a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. Otherwise, the tornado envelops the vehicle, and each creature on or inside it that doesn't have total cover must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 99 ({@dice 18d10}) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one."
												],
												[
													"4",
													"A swirling cloud of dust envelops the vehicle. Any creature on or inside the vehicle that doesn't have total cover is {@condition blinded} by the dust until the start of its next turn unless it's using some kind of protective eyewear."
												],
												[
													"5",
													"Natural pillars of rock can grant cover as the vehicle swerves between them. The driver of the vehicle can make a DC 15 Dexterity check using the vehicle's Dexterity. On a success, the pillars provide three-quarters cover against attacks from other vehicles until the start of the driver's next turn."
												],
												[
													"6",
													"Your vehicle drives into a herd of {@creature Lemure||lemures}, {@creature manes}, or other fiends. The vehicle must make a DC 15 Strength or Dexterity check (driver's choice) to plow through the herd unimpeded. On a failed check, the herd counts as 30 feet of {@quickref difficult terrain||3}."
												],
												[
													"7",
													"The vehicle drives off a 10-foot-high ledge and comes crashing down. Any unsecured creature on the outside of the vehicle must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or tumble off, taking normal damage from the fall and landing {@condition prone} in an unoccupied space on the ground."
												],
												[
													"8",
													"Uneven ground threatens to slow your vehicle's progress. The vehicle must make a DC 10 Dexterity check to navigate the area. On a failed check, the ground counts as 60 feet of {@quickref difficult terrain||3}."
												],
												[
													"9",
													"Derelict infernal war machines dot the landscape, rusted beyond repair and half buried in the dust. If the vehicle uses {@action Dash} this turn, the driver must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity check using the vehicle's Dexterity or crash into one of the derelict infernal war machines (see \"{@area Crashing|439|x}\")."
												],
												[
													"10",
													"Part of the ground gives way underneath the vehicle, causing it to roll over. The vehicle must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a success, the vehicle rolls into an upright position and can continuing moving. On a failure, the vehicle lands {@condition prone}, either upside down or on its side, after coming to a dead stop. When the vehicle rolls, any unsecured creature holding on to the outside of it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or tumble off, landing {@condition prone} in an unoccupied space within 20 feet of the overturned vehicle."
												],
												[
													"11\u201320",
													"No complication."
												]
											]
										}
									]
								}
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix C: Magic Items",
			"page": 223,
			"id": "450",
			"entries": [
				"This appendix describes new magic items that appear in the adventure and presents them in alphabetical order.",
				{
					"type": "list",
					"items": [
						"{@item Battle Standard of Infernal Power|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Gauntlets of Flaming Fury|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Fane-Eater|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Hellfire Weapon|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Helm of Devil Command|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Infernal Puzzle Box|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Infernal Tack|MTF}",
						"{@item Matalotok|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Obsidian Flint Dragon Plate|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Shield of the Hidden Lord|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Soul Coin|BGDIA}",
						"{@item Sword of Zariel|BGDIA}"
					],
					"columns": 4
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix D: Creatures",
			"page": 228,
			"id": "46e",
			"entries": [
				"Creatures that are not described in the {@book Monster Manual|MM} but appear multiple times in the adventure are presented in this appendix in alphabetical order.",
				{
					"type": "list",
					"items": [
						"{@creature Amnizu|MTF}",
						"{@creature Baphomet|MTF}",
						"{@creature Bulezau|MTF}",
						"{@creature Crokek'toeck|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Fist of Bane|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Iron Consul|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Black Gauntlet of Bane|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Night Blade|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Reaper of Bhaal|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Death's Head of Bhaal|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Necromite of Myrkul|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Skull Lasher of Myrkul|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Master of Souls|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Fiendish Flesh Golem|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Hellwasp|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Hollyphant|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature Merregon|MTF}",
						"{@creature Narzugon|MTF}",
						"{@creature Nupperibo|MTF}",
						"{@creature Redcap|VGM}",
						"{@creature Tressym|BGDIA}",
						"{@creature White Abishai|MTF}",
						"{@creature Yeenoghu|MTF}",
						"{@creature Archduke Zariel of Avernus|BGDIA|Zariel}"
					],
					"columns": 4
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix E: Infernal Rapture Menu",
			"page": 244,
			"id": "492",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/154-zlhps-e-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 2000,
					"height": 2496
				},
				{
					"type": "inset",
					"name": "- Menu -",
					"page": 245,
					"id": "493",
					"entries": [
						{
							"type": "list",
							"style": "list-no-bullets",
							"name": "APPETIZERS",
							"page": 245,
							"items": [
								"- Pickled vine blight salad -",
								"- Pan-fried myconid cap with garlic butter -",
								"- Spicy shredded stirge sliders -"
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "list",
							"style": "list-no-bullets",
							"name": "MAIN DISHES",
							"page": 245,
							"items": [
								"- Broiled quippers served in a port reduction -",
								"- Roasted wereboar seasoned liberally with pepper and paprika -",
								"- Twice-battered axe beak strips with a brandied plum sauce -",
								"- Deep fried miniature giant space hamster, seasoned to perfection with rosemary, basil, thyme, and tears -"
							]
						},
						{
							"type": "list",
							"style": "list-no-bullets",
							"name": "DESSERTS",
							"page": 245,
							"items": [
								"- Candied phase spider eyes in a raspberry liquor reduction -",
								"- Sweet apple tart with a celestial caramel drizzle -",
								"- Rare miniature stench kow cheese selection -",
								"- Coffee/Tea -"
							]
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix F: Story Concept Art",
			"page": 246,
			"id": "494",
			"entries": [
				"In the months before writing began on {@i Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus}, art director Richard Whitters invited a handful of concept illustrators to create characters, creatures, objects, and environments based on conversations with Adam Lee (the story lead) and other members of the D&D team. These artists included Aleksi Briclot, Daarken, Max Dunbar, Titus Lunter, Vince Proce, and Shawn Wood. Their illustrations helped inspire the writers and laid the groundwork for a story guide used by our licencing partners. This appendix showcases some of their excellent work.",
				{
					"type": "gallery",
					"images": [
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/155-mzc8l-f-01-reya.webp"
							},
							"title": "Reya Mantlemorn",
							"width": 932,
							"height": 1500
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/156-nqkvt-f-01-heads.webp"
							},
							"title": "Salamander Mechanic, Z'neth the Hobgoblin & {@creature Krull|BGDIA} the Tortle",
							"width": 857,
							"height": 1000
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/157-fdk6x-f-01-chicken.webp"
							},
							"title": "Abyssal Chicken",
							"width": 1350,
							"height": 1350
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/158-jdktd-f-01-mahadi.webp"
							},
							"title": "Mahadi",
							"width": 2000,
							"height": 1135
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/159-bh4m9-f-01-hellfire.webp"
							},
							"title": "Hellfire Greatsword",
							"width": 1500,
							"height": 337
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/160-eofdk-f-01-slobberchops.webp"
							},
							"title": "Slobberchops",
							"width": 1500,
							"height": 1100
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/161-uqqdp-f-02-crokek.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Crokek'Toeck|BGDIA}",
							"width": 2249,
							"height": 1398
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/162-4hii1-f-02-soulcoin.webp"
							},
							"title": "Soul Coin",
							"width": 630,
							"height": 630
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/163-1elo6-f-02-mickey.webp"
							},
							"title": "Mickey, Barnabas & Gulah the Oni (Deleted NPC)",
							"width": 1638,
							"height": 1802
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/164-mvaed-f-02-sylvira.webp"
							},
							"title": "Sylvira and Jezebel",
							"width": 2513,
							"height": 1627
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/165-nruhn-f-02-chukka.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Chukka|BGDIA} and {@creature Clonk|BGDIA}",
							"width": 820,
							"height": 1520
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/166-cmij7-f-02-maggie.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}",
							"width": 650,
							"height": 1100
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/167-0iruv-f-02-lulu.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Lulu|BGDIA}",
							"width": 850,
							"height": 1000
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/168-t8ppi-f-02-madcaps.webp"
							},
							"title": "Madcaps",
							"width": 860,
							"height": 500
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/169-60gsv-f-04-marrenoloth.webp"
							},
							"title": "Marrenoloth plying the River Styx",
							"width": 1332,
							"height": 1968
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/170-omn4i-f-04-fortress.webp"
							},
							"title": "Zariel's Flying Fortress",
							"width": 1076,
							"height": 1836
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/171-fdsgw-f-04-yeenoghu.webp"
							},
							"title": "Yeenoghu's Demons",
							"width": 1472,
							"height": 1132
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/172-t5qi9-f-04-falaster.webp"
							},
							"title": "Falaster Fisk",
							"width": 832,
							"height": 1630
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/173-c7ifa-f-04-bg.webp"
							},
							"title": "Baldur's Gate, Lower City, with ghost cat and shadow cat",
							"width": 2512,
							"height": 3338
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/174-ymqp5-f-05-avernus.webp"
							},
							"title": "Avernus",
							"width": 5025,
							"height": 2121
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/175-eyylt-f-05-warmachines.webp"
							},
							"title": "Infernal War Machines",
							"width": 2388,
							"height": 420
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/176-kcjq4-f-05-happymobile.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Mad Maggie|BGDIA}'s Happymobile",
							"width": 1350,
							"height": 650
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/177-aojlt-f-05-warmachines-2.webp"
							},
							"title": "Merry Widow, Hell's Belle & Buzz Killer",
							"width": 2500,
							"height": 450
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/178-mx6zf-f-05-aleksipug.webp"
							},
							"title": "Devil riding an Aleksipug",
							"width": 1329,
							"height": 861
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/179-az93n-f-06-fortress.webp"
							},
							"title": "Fortress in Avernus",
							"width": 5025,
							"height": 2565
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/180-e8oli-f-06-thavius.webp"
							},
							"title": "{@creature Thavius Kreeg|BGDIA} (Amnizu)",
							"width": 1977,
							"height": 587
						},
						{
							"type": "image",
							"href": {
								"type": "internal",
								"path": "adventure/BGDIA/181-jyznh-f-06-jander.webp"
							},
							"title": "Jander Sunstar (Vampire)",
							"width": 2458,
							"height": 773
						}
					]
				}
			]
		},
		{
			"type": "section",
			"name": "Appendix G: Infernal Script",
			"page": 256,
			"id": "495",
			"entries": [
				{
					"type": "image",
					"href": {
						"type": "internal",
						"path": "adventure/BGDIA/182-ef7bt-g-01.webp"
					},
					"width": 1419,
					"height": 1806
				}
			]
		}
	]
}