Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities

C
hapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities serves as the
starting point for the newest of icial campaign:
Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. It's an
Starting Chapter 1
introductionary chapter packed with action, The main purpose of Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities is to
where the adventurers get a feel for the seedy establish the background for the adventure, as well as
streets of Baldur's Gate, discover background introduce certain themes (corruption and redemption in
information and dark secrets that sets them up particular). In this way, the Chapter is pretty self-contained,
for their journey into Avernus, as well as where they meet meaning that you have a lot of freedom to change/remove
some of the allies that will follow them on their adventures. content without worrying about messing up anything later in
This document seeks to provide you, the Dungeon Master, the campaign. As long as the party discovers that Elturel has
with tools and thoughts that will help you make Chapter 1 of been transported to Avernus because of Thavius Kreeg's deal
Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus an exciting experience with Zariel, and that to save the city, they must go to Avernus,
for your players. It's strongly recommended that you read then Chapter 1 has served it's purpose. Oh, yeah – it's of
through Chapter 1 before using these resources. And always course also where we hook the characters in, making them
remember, the advice and ideas given here are options – you actually care about the story, which we'll delve deeper into
know best what works at your table. This product contains: below.
Additional Hooks. Several ideas on how to get the
characters probably hooked and motivated to ight devils and Additional Hooks
journey into Avernus!
BG:DiA assumes that your characters start out working for
Changing Campaigns. Advice on how to transfer your
the Flaming Fist. Furthermore, the adventure also assumes
characters from either Ghosts of Saltmarsh or Waterdeep:
that this relationship will take the party from trying to root
Dragon Heist to Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus.
out evil cultists to going up against one of Baldur's Gate's
Running Chapter 1. Ideas on how to run each location in
leaders – and, eventually, all the way to the hell!
Chapter 1, extra content and advice on scaling dif iculty.
While there's some opportunity to expand upon the initial
Monster Stat Blocks. 20+ pages of monster stat blocks
hook along the way – using NPC's such as Reya Mantlemorn
covering every foe in the chapter, neatly arranged together on
and Lulu the Hollyphant – you may want to start the
pages, so you don't have to lip through several books.
adventure off with a stronger hook. A little extra motivation
Thavius Kreeg's Contract. A handout showing Thavius
can't hurt when you're trying to convince people to – quite
Kreeg's contract with the Duke of Avernus.
literally – go to hell. Below you'll ind some thoughts and
Maps. Five full-scale digital battlemaps covering every
ideas on how to do that, which you can alter to it your game.
location in Chapter 1, primed for virtual tabletops!
Dark Secrets
If your players are making new characters for this campaign,
Table of Contents it certainly pays to consider giving them a shared 'Dark
Secret' (see BG:DiA p. 208). We're presented with some
Starting Chapter 1 1 different options and interesting roll tables, though there's
not much advice on how you tie the secret to the campaign,
which is what we'll brie ly expand on here.
Additional Hooks ..........................................................1 Dark Secret as a Hook. Initially, the party's dark secret
Keeping them Hooked ................................................3 can serve as the reason why the characters are even doing
what Captain Zodge says. They're forced to help him root out
the cultists, because he knows what they did – a fact he
From Saltmarsh to Avernus .................................4 continually rubs in their faces. Later, as the party stands
before Sylvira and are faced with the prospect of going into
From Waterdeep to Avernus .................................4 hell, you can have the archmage (or Liara Portyr) also be

Running Chapter 1 5 aware of the characters' misdeeds, promising them

forgiveness if they undertake the dangerous mission into
Avernus. There's of course many variations of how you can
Restructuring Chapter 1 ........................................5 set this up – what's the secret, who knows, how do they use it
against the players – but as long as the deed was bad enough,
Elfsong Tavern ................................................................ 6 the prospect of absolution can certainly act as a motivation
for the players.
Dungeon of the Dead Three ............................... 7 Takes One to Know One. The party's dark secret might
also serve as something the demons and devils can use in
Low Lantern ........................................................................8 their dealings with the party when they're in Avernus. Their
misdeed might feature as they travel in Mad Maggie's
Vanthampur Villa .......................................................... 8 dreamscape, an archdevil might smell the evil on them, or
they'll stand face-to-face with the damned soul of someone
Important NPCs ................................................................9 who died as a result of their wrongdoing. Bringing the dark
secret in this way gives the background some meaning even
beyond Baldur's Gate and can create rewarding opportunities
for roleplay.

1
Make it Personal Faction Hooks
If your players are creating characters speci ically for this There's also the option to hook individual characters or even
campaign, you can let them know that the campaign starts the whole party in through the factions they're af iliated with
shortly after the city of Elturel disappeared. Suggest that (see Dungeon Master's Guide p. 21). Most factions will have an
their character can either be from Elturel – avoiding it's interest in Elturel's disappearance, although their reasons
disappearance because they live on the outskirts, were away and goals might differ, as suggested below.
on travel, or through sheer coincidence – or that they have The Harpers. "With the disappearance of Elturel, Faerun
some sort of bond with the city, such as relatives, a friend, an has lost an invaluable beacon of hope and light – not to
item they're looking for, or something along those lines. This mention the thousands of innocents who disappeared with it.
ensures that they'll be motivated to igure out what Most of those who survived led to Baldur's Gate – including,
happened to Elturel as soon as they're presented with it, and rumor is, High Overseer Thavius Kreeg. Go to Baldur's Gate,
you can use their ties to Elturel to add some drama during get friendly with the Flaming Fist, and learn what you can. If
Chapter 2. there's a way to save Elturel, we need to ind it."
Order of the Gauntlet. "The crater of Elturel stands as a
A Noble Quest mockery to the holy city that once sat there. We need you to
Instead of starting the adventure as the party negotiates with investigate what happened to Elturel and, most importantly:
Captain Zodge, you can have Reya Mantlemorn set the party is there anything we can do to restore it? We've secured you
on their quest. As described in the book (p. 32), the young an assignment with the Flaming Fist in Baldur's Gate – start
Hellrider has heard that Thavius Kreeg have been spotted in there and learn what you can, but take care not to let the
the city, surrounded by Vanthampur-guards. As she's on the mercenaries corrupt you."
run from the Flaming Fist, there's no way she'll be able to Lords' Alliance. "As you probably know, Elturel was a
gain entrance to the Upper City to look for him. Thus, she member of the Lords' Alliance. We need to ind out what
wants the party to gain favor with the Flaming Fist, so that happened to it, and if there's a risk to other cities in the
they'll be allowed into the Upper City. She offers the party North. Go to Baldur's Gate and see what you can learn.
500 gp if they help her ind Thavius Kreeg, and suggests that Unfortunately, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, whom we
the Flaming Fist will probably also reward them for any help usually deal with, has disappeared as well. Without him,
the party provides them along the way. Baldur's Gate's loyalty to the Alliance is tentative at best, so
This hook has some advantages. First off, it starts the you'll need to be careful. We've gotten you in with the
narrative early and ensures the party actually meets Reya Flaming Fist, but won't be able help you beyond that."
Mantlemorn. Second, it works just as well if you choose to Emerald Enclave. "The disappearance of Elturel is not
skip the Dead Three cultists-plotline (see 'Restructuring just evil, it's an abomination. It threatens the Balance – not
Chapter 1' on page 4 of this document), or if you're bringing just on our plane, but in the Cosmos itself. We must learn
in characters from another adventure, such as Ghosts of what happened to Elturel and ind a way to undo it – or, at the
Saltmarsh or Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (see page 4 of this very least, undo the harm caused by its disappearance. Go to
document). Baldur's Gate, where the remnants of Elturel has led, sign up
with the Flaming Fist, and ind out what you can."
A Deal With the Devil Zhentarim. "The disappearance of Elturel, Grand Duke
For the more cynical characters, it might take more than a Ulder Ravengard and Thavius Kreeg has created an
pleading paladin or a few missing relatives to get them opportunity for us. Baldur's Gate is in disarray and Elturel is
involved. Here you can choose to draw on the campaign's gone – but maybe not forever. The Black Network needs to
unique lavor to pull characters in: devils and the Nine Hells. insert itself – that means you – into the situation. Pal up with
An obvious choice for this is Tiamat, the Dragon Queen. the Flaming Fist and ind out how this chaos will best aid us.
You can have agents of Tiamat approach characters – perhaps Whoever can save Elturel, or whatever's left of it, is most
masking their evil disposition – attempting to enlist the party likely to end up with the power. That needs to be us!"
to aid the Dragon Queen in overthrowing Zariel. Starting
small, they irst offer a few hundred gold pieces for aid in
recovering stolen treasure from the Dead Three Cultists (thus
pushing the party towards Captain Zodge, the Elfsong Tavern
or directly to the Dead Three Dungeon).
After the party has demonstrated their usefulness, the
cultists ask them to eradicate the Dead Three Cult and its
backers entirely, sending them after the Vanthampurs.
Finally, the cultists pays the party handsomely for going to
Avernus to thwart Zariel's evil plans with Elturel – perhaps
not believing the party capable, but iguring that anything the
adventurers can do to hinder Zariel will bene it Tiamat.
Of course, involving the players with Tiamat requires you
to make some changes later, as the party runs into cultists of
the Dragon Queen. It also requires a party that is willing to
work for evil – or that the cultists present their tasks as
benevolent and altruistic, hiding their true motives. You can
easily replace Tiamat with any powerful devil, since the
Lords of the Nine are always trying to undercut each other –
it might be agents of Bel, who wants to overthrow the Duke of
Avernus, or perhaps the paranoid Dispater, who fears Zariel
is mustering forces to challenge him for dominion of the
Second Layer of Hell.

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 Keeping Them Hooked
Heavensfall
Getting the players hooked initially might not be as hard as
keeping them hooked, once they realize their quest will take Weapon (mace), rare
them into the Nine Hells! For a campaign that seems to invite
When you hit a fiend of undead with this magic
morally ambiguous and somewhat sel ish characters, there's weapon, that creature takes an additional 1d6
not much of a reward for going into hell – a risky endeavor by radiant damage.
any measure. It's simply assumed that the characters will Guiding Bolt. You can cast the spell guiding
happily volunteer to go on the quest to bring back Elturel bolt once as a 2nd-level spell without expending
from Avernus, at great personal peril. While your players a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when
might choose to be accommodating and just go along with it you finish a long rest.
(they're here to play a campaign, after all) regardless of their
characters' misgivings, you may want to make their descent
into Avernus a bit more appealing.

Wealth and Money

The only monetary reward mentioned in Chapter 1 – beyond
Captain Zodge's initial reward of 200 gp per character – is
Falaster Fisk's (Sylvira's agent in Baldur's Gate) assertion
that the tie ling archmage will pay for the delivery of Thavius
Kreeg's infernal puzzle box. This reward isn't mentioned later
under the 'Candlekeep'-section, but it seems that a tangible
reward, such as 500 gold pieces, an uncommon magic item
(an example could be Heavensfall, the magical mace
described on this page), or some valuable spell scrolls and
potions, might work to at least make the journey to
Candlekeep worthwhile.
As for the journey into hell, you can have the archmage
offer to pay handsomely for the party's services – offering
5,000 gold pieces and Candlekeep's gratitude if the party
travels to the First Layer of Hell and saves the city.
Alternatively, Sylvira can ask the party to stay for a few days,
while she informs 'other interested parties' about the deal
gleaned from Thavius' puzzlebox. This allows you to have
relevant factions - such as the Lords' Alliance or Liara Portyr
on behalf of the Flaming Fist – offer the party a monetary
reward for making the journey into hell and attempting to
save Elturel.

Fame and Power

For some characters, the strongest motivation might not be
gold and wealth, but the prospect of fame and power. Have
NPCs – Sylvira, Liara, even Reya Mantlemorn – appeal to the
character's innermost desires. "Only a true adventurer would
dare go into the Nine Hells – such a hero would hear their
name sung in every tavern from Calimport to Luskan!" or
"Consider this: Right now, Elturel is leaderless, lost,
abandoned. Whoever saves that city will not only have done
Faerun a great service, they'll also have made a strong
argument for who should hold power in a restored Elturel!"

Redemption and Forgiveness

If you've used the 'Dark Secret'-background to tie your
players together and to Baldur's Gate, you can use the dark
secret to motivate the party to undertake the journey to
Avernus. Sylvira (or another NPC of your choosing) knows of
the dark secret, and offers complete absolution (spiritually
and legally), if the party attempts to free Elturel from Zariel's
grasp. After all, isn't Hell where sinners go anyway?

Expanding on a Previous Hook

You can also bring back a previous hook to motivate the
character's to travel beyond Candlekeep. A faction agent
reappears to offer more rewards and renown, Reya
Mantlemorn promises Elturel's eternal gratitude if the party
helps, or the agents of an archdevil makes lofty claims about
the adventures and treasures that await ahead.

3
From Saltmarsh to Avernus From Waterdeep to Avernus
So you've played some Ghosts of Saltmarsh, but now you If you're playing through Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and
wanna jump into the newest of icial campaign. But how do want to make the jump to Baldur's Gate: Descent into
you make the transition from maritime mysteries to hellish Avernus, there's a wide array of options available to you.
excursions? Below are some ideas to inspire you on how to The assumption is that the characters are around 5th level,
go from one campaign to the other. having just secured (or lost!) the dragon's cache. Because of
your party's higher level – and because the characters have
A Traitor in Our Midst already played through ive levels worth of urban adventure –
Skerrin Wavechaser (or some other important NPC in the you may want to skip or streamline some of the content in
Saltmarsh campaign) is actually a devotee of Zariel, set on the Chapter 1, regardless of how you transition the party. See
same mission as Thavius Kreeg and the Vanthampurs: 'Restructuring Chapter 1' for more advice on how to do that.
Procure souls for Zariel by condemning Saltmarsh to the Nine
Hells. The traitor has been spurring on pirates, lizardfolk and Just Another Mission
sahuagin to bloody con lict, hoping for enough bloodshed to It's likely that at least some of the characters have signed up
fuel the ritual that'll transport Saltmarsh to the First Layer of with the various factions in Waterdeep, thus making the
Hell. As the party unravels the treachery, they'll ind proof 'Faction Hooks' (see page 2 of this document) an easy way to
(such as an infernal puzzle box and secret communications) switch campaign. If characters have joined Bregan D'aerthe,
that ties the traitor to Thavius Kreeg and the Vanthampurs in Jarlaxle's reasons for exploring Elturel's disappearance will
Baldur's Gate, as well as the disappearance of Elturel. The look much like the Zhentarim's: exploit the chaos to claim as
Saltmarsh Council offers a hefty reward for getting to the root much power and wealth as possible.
of this problem – sending the party to Baldur's Gate if they
are low level, or directly to Candlekeep, if the party is already An Honorable Heist
5th level or higher. Having lived through a season of high crime and intrigue in
Waterdeep, the characters have built a strong reputation.
Devils of the Sea Having heard of the resourceful adventurers, Reya
The sahuagin are the main threat in the three Saltmarsh- Mantlemorn reaches out to the party – either making the
adventures, and speci ically in The Final Enemy, although long trip to Waterdeep herself, or sending a letter asking
their presence is felt as early as in Danger at Dunwater. You them to meet her in Baldur's Gate – and asks for the
can tie the events of BG:DiA to the sahuagin by having the fall characters' aid. She feels certain that Thavius Kreeg has been
of Elturel be the reason for their increased aggression. captured by the Vanthampurs, but she's a warrior, not an
Perhaps the in luence of their shark-deity, Sekolah, who in iltrator – and, surely, breaking out Elturel's former leader
inhabits the River Styx (which lows through the Nine Hells), is a heist worthy of Waterdeep's most famed heisters!
is spilling over to the material place since the fall of Elturel.
Or perhaps Zariel has petitioned Sekolah and its worshipers Changing Locales
for a partnership, urging them to commit bloodshed that will At the moment, we don't know if there's a deeper reason
aid her plan to condemn more Faerunian cities to the First BG:DiA starts in Baldur's Gate, but the content described in
Layer of Hell. The characters can discover this connection Chapter 1 can quite easily be reskinned to it Waterdeep
between the sahuagin threat and the fall of Elturel either instead. If you want to include all the content of Chapter 1, a
through intermediaries – an emissary from Candlekeep faction might hire the adventurer's to deal with dangerous
aboard the Emperor of the Waves (in the adventure Salvage cultists, taking them all the way to a prominent noble
Operation), crazed devil-worshippers on an abandoned isle Waterdhavian family's estate, where they'll ind the shield of
(in the adventure Isle of the Abbey) – or they might ind proof the hidden lord and Thavius Kreeg, the High Overseer of
with the sahuagin, as they investigate the stronghold in The Elturel ("oh, yeah, that city we heard of, which disappeared
Final Enemy. suddenly a few weeks ago"). All you need to do then is
replacing the disappeared Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard with
Tammeraut's Fate and the Styes a notable Waterdhavian such as Mirt, Volothamp Geddarm,
The last two adventures in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh-anthology Renaer Neverember, or the monk Hlam. You can even spare
feature higher level threats: the Drowned Ones of the sinister the party the trip to Candlekeep, having Vajra Safahr replace
sunken ship, Tammeraut, and a juvenile kraken festering in Sylvira when it comes to opening the infernal puzzle box,
the Styes. Both adventures can serve nicely as a starting off introducing the party to Lulu the Hollyphant and whisking
point for a delve into Avernus. them off to the First Layer of Hell.
The Pit of Hatred in Tammeraut's Fate might be a rift to the Alternatively, if you are still playing through Waterdeep:
Hells instead of the Abyss (and Syrgaul's crew sworn to Zariel Dragon Heist, you can make sure to set the Cassalanters up as
instead of Orcus) meant to eventually swallow up a nearby the campaign's villains, and have them shelter the
coastal city, such as Saltmarsh. To end the threat for good, the treacherous Thavius Kreeg and his infernal puzzle box in their
characters must travel to Avernus, stop Zariel's evil plans and villa. It will take a bit of rewriting to pull off, but could make
– perhaps – save Elturel. Likewise, the crazed aboleth for a seamless transition from one campaign to the next.
grooming a kraken in the Styes isn't doing the work of
Tarizdun, but instead works for Zariel, preparing the Styes
(or Baldur's Gate?) for its descent into Avernus.

4
 Running Chapter 1
Once you've set up for Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities, it's
time to run the chapter for your players. It's a long chapter
with a lot of content, most of which is very entertaining.
Below we'll go over each of the major sections of the chapter
– Elfsong Tavern, Dungeon of the Dead Three, Low Lantern
and Vanthampur Villa – offering advice and inspiration on
how to run the content. First, however, we'll shortly look at
how you can restructure Chapter 1 to it your needs.

Restructuring Chapter 1
Chapter 1 is in essence an investigation. Initially, a mission to
discover – and eliminate – cultists of the Dead Three, which
later evolves into an investigation into the Vanthampur's and
their involvement in the disappearance of Elturel. This is a
neat – and very fast – way of getting the party from 1st-level
adventurers to seasoned 5th-level heroes before their
descent into Avernus. However, if you want to get to the point
(Avernus, in this case) faster, or you have a party starting at a
higher level, here's some advice on how you can restructure
the content of Chapter 1 to your needs.

Skipping the Pirate Encounter

The most expendable block of content is probably the pirate
encounter in Elfsong Tavern, that gets your party from level 1
to 2. While a good starting point for very new players, a
bar ight with some unnamed bandits wholly unrelated to the
larger story probably won't excite veteran players very much.
If you want, you can simply start the adventure at 2nd level,
skip the scuf le with the spurned pirates and have Tarina
insist on a few games of Baldur's Bones before she divulges
any information about the cultists.

Skipping the Dead Three Cultists

While the cultists of the Dead Three might feature more
prominently in a future campaign, they play only a very
minor part in this campaign. Their function is more-or-less
just to get the party leveled up and to serve as a segway to
the Vanthampurs. You can use Reya Mantlemorn (or any
faction of your choice) as the hook instead (see 'Alternative
Hooks' on p. 2), informing the party that she thinks the
Vanthampur's have Thavius Kreeg, leading the party straight
to Amrik in the Low Lantern, as she hopes to learn more
about Thavius and perhaps gain access to the Upper City.

Straight to the Vanthampurs

Most everything the party actually needs to know before
going to Avernus, can be found in the Vanthampur Villa:
Thavius Kreeg and his infernal puzzle box, the shield of the
hidden lord, and Falaster Fisk. If you have Reya Mantlemorn
give the party the mission, you could have the in iltration of
the Vanthampur Villa act as the start of the adventure. This
works especially well for a party that's around 4th or 5th
level or have just played through Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
If your party is starting at 5th level (as opposed to 4th
level), you can increase the dif iculty of the Vanthampur Villa
by placing Mortlock Vanthampur and a few bandits or cultists
in the Villa's Foyer (V3), and putting Amrik and his
bodyguards in the Dining Room under the Villa (V24).

5
Elfsong Tavern Killing Time – and Pirates!
When the party speaks to Tarina, she insists that they stay to
The characters' irst mission in Baldur's Gate takes them to help her against her old crew, which she thinks have found
Elfsong Tavern, where the following is meant to happen: her. The book leaves it up to you to decide how long it'll take
before the pirates show up to accost Tarina. The characters
Find Tarina. The party inds Tarina, who wants the party
might wonder – and rightly so – if they're meant to stay in the
to help her kill a band of pirates coming to kill her.
tavern for days, as they wait for the pirates to eventually
Hear the Elfsong. While waiting for the pirates, the
show up. Additionally, it's quite the coincidence that the
party hears an elf spirit singing about Elturel (they can
party arrives just in time to help Tarina against her old crew.
also play tavern games and hear rumors!)
By making just a few, simple changes, we can make this
Kill the Pirates. The characters ight Captain Dead-Eye
scenario both more plausible and prevent the party from
and his crew of pirates.
concluding that simply beating the information out of Tarina
Get Pointed to the Bathhouse. Tarina tells the party
is the easiest way to gain the information they're after.
that the cultists frequent a bathhouse several blocks away.
Instead of Tarina asking the party to help her against the
All told, the party's visit to Elfsong Tavern should make for pirates, you can have her insist that they instead play a few
some entertaining play, featuring roleplay, tavern games, an rounds of Baldur's Bones (or another tavern game) with her,
eerie elfsong and a good ol' fashioned bar ight. Below are before she tells them what she knows. Tarina sees this as an
some advice on how to run Elfsong Tavern. opportunity to cheat the party out of some coin (see
'Cheating' below, giving Tarina +3 bonus to her Sleight of
Settting the Scene Hand checks) before handing over information.
You can set the scene by reading or paraphrasing the Have the party play a round or two of Baldur's Bones, with
description below: an ante of 2 gold pieces. Then present an interlude in the
form of the 'Elfsong' sounding throughout the tavern. You can
As you enter the Elfsong Tavern, you find yourself then resume the game of Baldur's Bones, until the characters
seem bored, confront Tarina with her cheating, or simply
immediately enveloped by the heat and noise of a busy
demand to get the information. This is when Lekard 'Dead-
taproom. On one side of the entrance stands a hulk of a
Eye' Cadavrus and his bandits arrive downstairs, and a
woman, who's clearly got some orc or even ogre in her worried look comes across Tarina's face.
bloodline. On the other side of the door is an empty suit of In a hushed voice, Tarina quickly ills the party in on her
armor – not just ordinary armor, you realize, as the empty falling out with the pirates and offer her inal bargain:
helmet moves to glance at you for a moment, before "They's going to kill me and ain't a soul in here who'll dare do
returning its eyeless gaze to the taproom. nottin'. 'Cept ye lot, that is. Ye'll have to, if ye want to learn
what I knows 'bout dem cultists ye're lookin' fer."
The taproom itself is filled with a wide variety of patrons, Meanwhile, the pirates are making their way up the stairs,
all of which carry at least one weapon – and, in some cases, 'Dead-Eye' shouting at the top of his lungs: "I knows ye're
multiple – while either discussing and laughing loudly, or here, Rhonda – or Tarina is it? That old bird said as much,
swore it on her All-Hearing or All-Knowing or All-Something-
engaging in hushed conversations in private booths. None
god! We even pricked her a little to make sure she wasn't
seem to take particular interest in you. Two young men
tellin' no tales!"
serve the tables, while the middle-aged man standing
behind the bar gives a slight nod as you enter. Scaling the Encounter
A bandit-captain and seven bandits is a hefty challenge for
a party of 1st level adventurers. As a bandit herself, Tarina
isn't going to provide much aid, and the book speci ically says
If the party is unsure where to start or how to ind Tarina,
that other patrons won't intervene unless bribed. Here are
you can describe the following scene:
some ways you can increase the party's chances:

Suddenly, a loud crash followed by intense shouting from Allow the party to ambush the pirates as they come up the
above silences the taproom. A few seconds later, a stairs, gaining a surprise round and funneling their
disheveled, elderly woman stumbles down the stairs. At the enemies, as they block each other on the narrow staircase.
Make Tarina a spy instead of a bandit and have the
bottom, she turns back and shouts back up the stairs:
pirates focus their attacks on her instead of the party.
"A fine lot you are, pushing an old woman down the If Tarina is killed, Dead-Eye offers a truce. If the party
protests that they needed information from Tarina, Dead-
stairs! Fools too – I wasn't asking The All-Seeing to help me
Eye suggests they ind a priest and speak to the corpse.
cheat, I asked him to help me uncover the real cheater. Yes,
If Dead-Eye is killed, any remaining bandits lee.
I said it – should be Tarina kicked off the table, not me!"

A chorus of shouts sounds from the room upstairs, and

the woman waves dismissively at the stairs, before picking Cheating at Tavern Games
up an assortment of charms, cards and coins from the floor.
A cheating character makes a Dexterity (Sleight
She leaves in a huff, grumbling to herself. of Hand) check against the passive Perception of
all onlookers. On a success, they can reroll one of
the game's skill checks or one of the dice they've
The woman is Rahima Sahiressa (see BG:DiA p. 16), an rolled, if playing a dice game. On a failure, well,
acolyte and astrologer who worships Savras, the All-Seeing that depends who notices...
god of divination and fate. She might come into play again in
a minute (see 'Killing Time – and Pirates!')

6
 Dungeon of the Dead Three D29. Mortlock Vanthampur
The scene in this room is quite cinematic, but you can add
The Dungeon of the Dead Three underneath a public even more drama, if you want to. As the party enters, Vaaz is
bathhouse run by the Vanthampurs presents itself as a classic standing over Mortlock, ready to inish him off. As Vaaz sees
dungeon crawl, where the characters must ight – and kill – the party, he hisses: "So you've brought friends, eh, Mortlock?
cultists of the gods Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul. A little late to the party, aren't they?" before stabbing
Morthlock in the stomach and retreating towards area D33.
Jabaz and Qurmilah If the party starts to chase after Vaaz, Mortlock begs in a
We're told that the two masseuses who work in the gravelly voice: "Hold up.. My pouch.. A potion.. I'll tell you
bathhouse during the day (areas D3 and D4) know about the everything.. I'll help you.." while fumbling with his pouch,
secret entrance, but won't tell the party about it. This seems a clearly bleeding out. The potion is a greater potion of healing,
bit counterproductive. Instead, if your party arrives at the which the party can either administer to Mortlock, or take
bathhouse during opening hours to question the masseuses, with them.
but don't know where to go from there, you can have either Mortlock will tell his story, either in an effort to get the
Jabaz or Qurmilah seek them out as they leave through the party to heal him, or after they've given him the potion. He'll
bathhouse's garden. The masseuse explains their suspicions: also warn them that Vaaz is very dangerous, and inform the
"I think Mortlock is running some shady business on the side, characters that there's no other exits ahead. He suggests they
but I'm too afraid to say anything. He's told me I can't hang replenish their strength (take a short rest) before facing the
around after hours, and there's a hidden door leading down murderous cultist.
to some dark, stinky place in the northern massage room!"
Scaling the Encounter with Vaaz
D7. Bhaal's Altar A 2nd-level character usually has somewhere between 10-20
It seems a wasted opportunity not to give this altar a function hit points, and deals an average of 5-10 damage in a round.
of some sort. Consider having the following text be scratched Vaaz, a death's head of bhaal has 76 hit points (not
into the wall underneath the steel mask: counting his ability to shrug off three attacks) and deals
upwards of 20-30 damage in a round with his two dagger
Present your work to the Lord of Murder
attacks because of his Aura of Murder. Furthermore, he's
If a character places a body or body parts on the altar (either resistant to magic and can stun a target each round.
from the corpse in D6 or one of the cultists above) they gain a In other words, Vaaz is a big mouthful for a party of 2nd-
+2 bonus to Strength and Dexterity that lasts 1 hour, during level adventurers, especially if they're low on hit points and
which they feel an increased urge to spill blood and murder. resources. Depending on their strength and numbers, you
If a character instead desecrates the altar (breaking it, may want to adjust the dif iculty of this encounter:
pouring holy water on it or something similar), they feel like
As mentioned above, you can have Mortlock suggest the
they've recti ied a great evil, granting them 5 temporary hit
party takes a short rest before facing Vaaz.
points that lasts 1 hour.
If Mortlock has been healed, he'll aid the party against
Vaaz, who in turns focuses his attacks against the brute.
D12. Bane's Altar During combat, Mortlock will suggest to the party that
As with Bhaal's Altar in D7, you can give this altar an they shove Vaaz toward the statue of Bane, hoping that
inscription and function as well. The following is written the cultist will succumb to its magic.
above the altar: Describe Vaaz as wounded, having suffered a few hits of
Mortlock's greatclub earlier, reducing the cultist's hit
Submit your servant to the Lord of Darkness
points to a more appropriate number.
A character that forces an unwilling creature to kneel by the
altar (such as Klim, the noble already shackled in the room)
can use the iron consul's 'Voice of Command' feature once
as a bonus action within the next hour. Similar to Bhaal's
altar, a character that instead desecrates Bane's altar gains 5
temporary hit points.

D17. Myrkul's Altar

Here we don't need to make any alterations, except granting a
character that desecrates the altar 5 temporary hit points.

D18. Gas Buildup

This room threads a ine line between a non-issue and a total
party kill. With an initial explosion dealing up to 4d6 ire
damage, followed by a 25% chance of the roof collapsing for
another 4d10 bludgeoning damage, this room could very well
end the campaign if the characters are very unlucky.
Consider either ignoring the possibility of a roof collapse,
or allowing the most likely character (such as a dwarf or a
creature with a background in construction) to realize the
structural damage with a DC 10 Intelligence check, giving
them time to warn the other characters before the collapse.

7
Low Lantern Running Vanthampur Villa
The characters' visit to Low Lantern is a social encounter that The Vanthampur Villa is where the party will inally unravel
is bound to become a combat encounter. It presents itself as a the conspiracy, face off with Duke Vanthampur and, most
fun scenario, that should be pretty straight-forward to run – importantly, High Overseer Thavius Kreeg. Once again this
and not too dangerous. By themselves, Amrik and his two looks much like a straightforward dungeon crawl, but there's
bodyguards shouldn't be too much of an issue for a party of a few things it pays to be aware of.
3rd-level adventurers, especially not if they've brought
Mortlock. But, there's a wildcard in this scenario, that should V13. Thurstwell Vanthampur
be handled with some care... Thurstwell has important information, as well as the infernal
puzzle box, which is vital to the story. There's no guarantee,
Poisoned Drinks however, that the party will go up before they head down into
Amrik can signal the tavern staff to spike hostile characters' the sewer complex. Returning to ight Thurstwell after
drinks with torpor poison – something he will probably do clearing out the sewers will seem a bit lat, so you may want
immediately when he realizes the characters suspect his to make it more likely that they confront Thurstwell irst.
involvement with the Dead Three Cultists. It's a fun little If Mortlock or Amrik is with the party, you can have them
gimmick, but since torpor poison has a DC of 15, and renders direct the party to Thurstwell – Amrik because he sees a
a character both poisoned and unconscious for 4d6 hours, it chance to escape while the party kills his brother, and
might end the encounter before it begins, or cause one or Mortlock because he wants vengeance. Alternatively, you can
more players to sit out the entirety of the encounter (and the have the characters hear sounds of shrill shrieking and
rest of the adventuring day!), which isn't very fun. frustration, as Thurstwell is working on the puzzle box,
Instead of removing the poisoning from the encounter hopefully drawing the party upstairs.
(which would be a shame), you can give the characters a
ighting chance, allowing each character who is given a V26. Temple of Zariel
poisoned cup to make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to There's a magical mace hiding in this statue's head and neck,
realize that the drink smells or tastes weirdly, before which a character can ind by breaking the statue. That seems
swallowing the poison. This allows them an extra chance to slightly unlikely – plus, +1 weapons are a bit bland. You can
avoid being poisoned, although they won't realize in time to substitute this mace for Heavensfall (see page 3 of this
prevent other characters from drinking the poison. document), and have one or more characters with a
Additionally, you can have a character that drinks the 'righteous disposition' sense something calling to them from
poison make three saving throws instead of one. The irst within the statue, as they ight the barbed devil in this
immediately, the second after three rounds, and the third chamber, increasing the chances that they'll actually ind it.
after a minute. On the irst failure they become poisoned and
on the second failure they become incapacitated for the V36. Vanthampur Vault
duration (4d6 hours). This gives them at least a chance to There's not much advice on what to do with Thavius Kreeg if
participate in the ight that inevitably breaks out when they the party doesn't kill him. Indeed, it seems that Thavius
realize Amrik is trying to poison them! Kreeg is meant to die, so that the party has a chance to face
Finally, poisoning is always a bit hard to handle, since him later in hell. But, Thavius is also described as a cowardly
players might insist that their character wouldn't have drunk liar, so it's unlikely he'd provoke the party into killing him.
anything, once you inform them that they've been poisoned. If you want to make Thavius' death a bit more likely, you
On the other hand, you can't very well ask the players if their can have the former High Overseer break down in a it of
characters drink what they're offered without making it guilt and self-pity, as the party levels accusations against him.
painfully obvious that the drinks have been poisoned. Moaning stuff like "Oh, what have I done, what have I done?"
To get around this, you can have Amrik toast the characters and "Why me? Why? Oh gods, why?" before inally collapsing
(for their cunning or some other perceived accomplishment), in a sobbing heap on the loor, face-down. As the party – or
the city of Baldur's Gate or the disappeared Archduke Ulder Reya – turns him over, they see black foam on his lips and a
Ravengard, prompting the players to declare whether their small vial in his hand. Dying from the self-administered
characters participate in the toast or not. Alternatively, you assassin's blood-poison, Thavius only has the time to mutter:
can have players who argue that their characters wouldn't "Fools... There's no sense ighting it... The Duke of Avernus
have drunk anything make a DC 13 Intelligence check, will get her way. She always does..."
allowing them to have abstained on a success. Alternatively, you can have Reya Mantlemorn – if she's with
the party – kill the infernal High Overseer in a it of righteous
rage, once she realizes his treachery. This rash and foul
misdeed might become a source of regret for the young
woman, and serve as her motivation for traveling into the
Nine Hells, where she hopes to ind atonement. You can even
have the Flaming Fist accuse the party of being co-
conspirators to the murder, using it as leverage to press the
party into going to Avernus to save Elturel.

8
 Important NPCs Lulu the Hollyphant
Possibly the most important NPC in the campaign is Lulu the
When reading through BG:DiA, you'll notice that the Hollyphant. She's both plot-engine and infernal guide, as she
campaign seems to rely heavily on a few key NPCs that are keeps the party moving from location to location in Avernus –
introduced in Chapter 1: Reya Mantlemorn, Gargauth (the and is apparently so important she's magically resurrected in
Shield of the Hidden Lord) and Lulu the Hollyphant. We write Chapter 4 if she should die along the way. In some ways, she
'seems' because it's actually quite doable (and perhaps, can come to feel like the story's main protagonist (a role that
depending on your table, more enjoyable) to play the you would traditionally reserve for the party).
campaign without one or more of them. Below we'll give Luckily, you don't have to bring along a lying, golden
suggestions on how to play the campaign without these three elephant, if you don't want to. There's various different ways
NPCs, if for some reason you don't want to bother with them. to replace her, but before we get to that, let's irst look at her
role in the campaign. Lulu is vital to the story at four points:
Reya Mantlemorn
Reya Mantlemorn is the runaway Hellrider that steers the She points the party towards Fort Knucklebone after
party towards the Vanthampur Villa, Candlekeep and Ulder Ravengard has been saved (p. 72)
eventually Elturel. She brings some drama to the story with She's the conduit for Mad Maggie's ritual in Fort
her personal involvement, and relays some of the Hellrider's Knucklebone, after which she points the party toward
backstory to the party. However, if you'd rather not have her Haruman's Hill (p. 86)
tag along, or she and your party take a dislike to each other, She points the party toward either the Spawning Trees or
you can easily write her out of the story. You can have Sylvira the Demon Zapper after Haruman's Hill is found to be a
provide the exact same information about the Hellriders as dead-end (p. 93)
she does, and any NPC the party meets in Elturel can point She's the conduit for the party's travel to Idyllglen just
the party towards the High Hall when they get there. before the party can claim the Sword of Zariel (p. 140)

When reading through the sections where Lulu makes an

The Shield of the Hidden Lord appearance, it's clear that while she has important functions,
Gargauth – the pit iend inside the Shield of the Hidden Lord –
they are not tied to who or what she is. You can easily replace
serves two purposes: it is the instrument with which Thavius
Lulu with any other creature or even an inanimate object, if
and the Vanthampurs plan to cause Baldur's Gate's descent
you want to. You can even do this in ways that seem a bit
into Avernus, and it's a companion/guide for the characters
more credible than the party just happening upon exactly the
on their travels in hell. Giving the party an evil, sentient
lying elephant they need to save Elturel.
shield as a companion can make for some interesting
You can replace Lulu with an inanimate object with ties to
situations, but it is not without issues.
Zariel, such as a small shard from the Sword of Zariel or even
First, the shield is a +2 shield that can cast several
Zariel's severed hand encased in an iron gauntlet (a symbol
powerful spells – and the party gets it very early. Bounded
of Torm!), by making only minor modi ications to the story:
accuracy is a thing in 5E, and you might ind the shield more
than a little frustrating. Second, the plan to use the shield to Ulder Ravengard is mindlessly clutching the item when
bring down Baldur's Gate seems a bit vague and unlikely. the party inds him in Chapter 2 – it was given to him by
Additionally, while the Shield of the Hidden Lord might Torm during his spirit journey (which no longer includes
seem important to the plot, the shield is barely mentioned a lying mammoth). He senses that the object contains
again until chapter 5, where the pit iend may – or may not – important memories, that can help the party save Elturel.
help the party against Zariel. Thus, you can quite easily write You can have Gargauth, the Shield of the Hidden Lord, take
it out of the adventure, if you'd rather not bother with it. on the role of guide, suggesting that the hag Mad Maggie
Instead of using the shield, you can have Thavius and the may be able to unlock the memories.
Vanthampurs' plan be to smuggle Hell ire Weapons into Mad Maggie performs the ritual on the item, putting the
Baldur's Gate and giving them to the Dead Three Cultists. party through the same dream sequence (but without
This way they can both bolster the ranks of devils in Avernus, Lulu making an appearance), although Dream 5:
while also causing chaos and destruction in Baldur's Gate, Revelation is replaced with a vision of demons being
hopefully bringing about its downfall. Simply place a few spawned and slain by Zariel wielding the Sword of Zariel,
Hell ire Weapons with the Dead Three Cultists – you can give which Mad Maggie interprets as 'the path leading to the
one to Flennis (D13), Mortlock (D29) and Vaaz (D33). This sword starts where demons are either made or
has the added bene it of giving the party some magical destroyed'. You can skip the Haruman's Hill encounter –
weapons before traveling into Avernus, saving them the or simply have it be a 'random' encounter on the way to
trouble of scrambling to get silvered weapons made! one of these destinations (which you can once again have
Alternatively, you can keep the Shield of the Hidden Lord in Gargauth or any other interesting NPC they meet on their
the campaign, but dial down it's powers – perhaps entirely way direct the party to!).
removing the +2 bonus to AC that comes with it. You can even Have the object be the conduit of the party's spirit journey
give Gargauth a more prominent role, having it take Lulu the to Idyllglen in Chapter 4.
Hollyphant's place as the party's guide to important locations
The above is only an example of how you can write Lulu out
in Avernus (see more under 'Lulu the Hollyphant').
of the campaign. Whether you should do so – and exactly
what you replace her with – depends on your campaign and
your players. If you feel like your players will appreciate
having Lulu around, and you don't mind playing her (or
having one of your players control her), then there's no
reason to change anything – she can be a lot of fun for the
right table. If not, we'll elaborate more on how to run the
campaign without Lulu in our DM's resources for the
remaining chapters.

9
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