THE HISTORY OF THE COUATL

GUARDIANS OF THE SILVER TREE

ADVENTURE TWENTY-SIX

“The Devils, or, To Hell with Dovinyae”

Characters:

Amren : Prophet of the Silver Tree.

Alrek: Always ready to save a companion.

Toki: Hell pisses him off.

Dovinyae: Extremely vincible.

Ragnar Silverbeard : The Hammerfoe. Plays polo with devils.

Aethelric: Captain of the Legion of Three Hundred.

Endeem Valos: Silver Dragon going by the name Greshum.

Daragru: Warlord.

Xhu: A Godman.

Garthmund: Paladin Legionairre

The Time : 8th Age, 6th Year, 25th through 28th of Eul (summer)

The Places: Itstilawikanah (Lamapacher), Indor, Avernus (Hell), Catemar (Indor)

Notes on Indor: Indor is the land of the Vikings. Traditionally protected by the Legion of Three Hundred, Indor is the home of Grindill and Adilbrand Noblesword.

The Guardians spent five weeks at Itsitlawikanah as Amren researched a spell. Alrek learned more from the Twilight Gathering during these five weeks. The Guardians also planned their assault on Catemar.

Dovinyae decided to go into Indor to prepare one of his spells. He decided he had to go in alone. He tried to use Ectoplasmic Form to go through Grindill’s barrier, but Grindill had learned his lesson and had barred psionics as a means of entry. Frustrated, Dovinyae tried to find the gnomes who helped them before. Grindill had found and killed those gnomes. Getting more frustrated, he tried to use Plant Transfer to get through the barrier. But Grindill had anticipated the use of priestly magic, and had blocked that means also. Very frustrated, he summoned Garthmund the Paladin Legionairre, who used Wraithbane to cancel the hostile magic so that Dovinyae could get in. As soon as the barrier was breached, an entity noticed and used magic to scry on the situation. When Dovinyae reached the other side, he sent the paladin back through, determined to go at it alone. The paladin shrugged and followed his orders. The entity, Larbius, servant of Asmodius, laughed and sent Wulmag the Pit Fiend after the lone Guardian. Wulmag appeared about 50 yards from Dovinyae. Dovinyae turned to a bird and flew off. Wulmag followed, using his dimensional door power to move closer when the bird started to move further away. Wulmag soon was catching up. Dovinyae decided to land and use Plant Transport again so that he could effect an escape. The Pit Fiend cast a Wall of Fire on the druid, disrupting the spell. Dovinyae used Ectoplasmic Form again. Wulmag laughed and attacked the druid psionically. Dovinyae lost the psionic battle and was captured.

Dovinyae was taken to Nessus, the Ninth Layer of Hell. A trial was quickly held and Dovinyae was found guilty of being a Guardian. He was thrown into the Icy Lake. Frozen from the waist down, he would not be allowed to sleep (thus keeping him from renewing his psionic strength) or to rest. His body would not be allowed to become numb so that the pain of being frozen would torment him for all of eternity (or until rescue).

Noticing his prolonged absence, and getting a vision of a massive lake frozen over and filled with thousands of lost sould, Amren decided it was time to go in after Dovinyae. He used Contact Other Plane to contact Tomodachi, the Lord of Magic. Tomodachi was reluctant, but he teleported the remaining Guardians into Indor. There was no sign of Dovinyae.

Larbius the Gelugon noticed the intrusion immediately. He was about to send the other Pit Fiend to them, but then he recognized the presence of Tomodachi. He opted to wait.

Amren tracked the area and found Dovinyae’s tracks, even the place where his body had fallen... and disappeared from. Amren told Tomodachi of the icy vision. Tomodachi said that the druid must have been taken captive by a Fiend. “He is probably on the Fifth or Ninth Layer of Hell,” said Tomodachi. Tomodachi then excused himself. The Guardians had to decide whether or not to continue with their planned assault on Catemar, or to go rescue Dovinyae. Alrek was clearly of a mind to rescue Dovinyae. Amren did not want to go into a trap. The only reason to keep Dovinyae alive was to lure them into the devils’ clutches. Tomodachi introduced them to Xhu, a godman. Xhu had decided to take up the cause.

Suddenly the skies above them churned with activity. Thrawn the Pit Fiend, three Osyluth (bone devil) lieutenants, and three erinyes appeared in the skies above them. Ragnar whipped out his golden thunderbolt hammers and threw one into Thrawn. Thrawn was hit hard and the skies lit up and the sound of thunder stunned all the devils, who remained hovering in the air above them.

Greshum turned back into the dragon Endeem Valos and flew above the devils, using his wings to push the air and shove the hovering devils to the ground. He then tore into Thrawn. Amren and Daragru slammed the devils with lightning bolts. As the devils landed, the warriors advanced with their weapons. Alrek slaughtered one quickly. Ragnar killed another with his remaining hammer. Endeem Valos killed the Pit Fiend. Garthmund slew an erinyes.

Amren Contacted Other Plane again and asked Tomodachi’s advice. Should they go on or go to Hell?

“Stay and battle devils here, or go and battle devils there. I don’t see that it makes much difference. But I would continue with your plans. Dovinyae will be where he is for a long time to come,” was Tomodachi’s advice.

Seven more devils appeared. The Guardians made a decision to go get Dovinyae. Using the Staff of Killren, they plane traveled to Hell.

Arriving on Avernus, they looked around at the familiar, bleak terrain with the exploding fireballs lighting the terrain infrequently. They had to go to Tiamat’s Lair again to get to the lower levels of Hell.

They crossed the Styx via the usual boatman and they avoided Bel’s army, who had been notified by Larbius to be on the watch. In two days they arrived at the Maggot Pit. They were met by the devil, but they declined his help and decided to leapfrog across on the heads of forming devils. Daragru nearly fell in, but Greshum (Endeem Valos in disguise) saved him with his reverse gravity power. They entered into the massive cavern of Tiamat.

Trying to get the scales of Tiamat, thinking that they could bypass several layers at once, they again ran into the Chamber of Greed. Ragnar was overcome by greed, and only by the efforts of Garthmund, Alrek, and Xhu were they able to recover the Runecaster.

With scales in hand they crawled through the gate. And the scales did not work. They found themselves on the Second Layer of Hell. They were looking at Dis.

They felt this was too much for them to handle, so they returned to Tiamat’s lair and plane traveled back to Indor.

In Indor once again, they unleashed the Legion of Three Hundred (who were safely stowed away aboard the Dreamship) and began the march toward Catemar. They were joined by Neria, who was leading 7,000 elves. Word was heard by Amren that the druids and rangers would join the battle at Catemar.

After marching for two days they reached the site of Catemar.

It wasn’t there.

They looked for an illusion, and the land shimmered before them and an army of 30,000 devils materialized on the plain. The city was still gone. At the back of the army was the Pit Fiend Wulmag. One of the Guardians exclaimed that the devils may have destroyed the city. Ragnar, smitten with a keen insight, said, “No, Grindill moved the city!” Greshum turned back into Endeem Valos and flew into the skies, using the clouds to hide his form. Ragnar formed the troops into a wedge and ordered a charge.

10,000 devils took to the air. The Elves launched arrows, but the arrows were harmless to the devils. Amren lifted his ring into the air and suddenly the battle took a new turn. The arrows started penetrating the devils, sending them plummetting to the ground, where the rangers, who now showed up with the druids, slew them. The Legion of Three Hundred and the Guardians slammed into the mighty armies of the infernal Asmodius. The first ranks, lemures, were easily squashed by the mighty cavalry. Ragnar, on his black charger, used his hammers to knock head after head off the shoulders of many devils. Garthmund was dragged down and killed, but Alrek and Toki slew mightily. Xhu used his martial arts to break diabolic bones and crush infernal heads. Daragru, leeching the lifeforce from the land, launched lightning bolt after lightning bolt into the armies. Fireballs erupted in the ranks of the Three Hundred and the Elves. Amren cast his lightning bolts and slew many devils.

Neria, the leader of the Elves found Larbius and managed to attack the Ice Devil. After striking the fiend, Neria prepared to deliver the killing blow to this nemisis. But Larbius managed to teleport away to safety.

Endeem Valos attacked the Pit Fiend with his breath weapon, slaying Wulmag’s lietenants. Then Endeem attacked the fiend physically. The Pit Fiend fought like a nonstoppable engine of destruction as Endeem slammed him into the ground again and again. Wulmag nearly killed the dragon, but Xhu and Toki attacked the fiend psionically, weakening and distracting him long enough for the dragon to crush the fiendish overlord.

With their fearless leader dead, the devils lost their morale and their ranks broke. The slaying became easier. Within an hour and a half, the battle was done. 114 Knights and 2,116 (including Neria) survived. They had won.

In the papers of Wulmag and Larbius they had found notes indicating Indor was nothing but a decoy. Grindill had no intentions of casting the next five spells there. And the third spell was to be cast in two weeks. With a flash of uncanny insight, Amren declared, “Grindill took Catemar to the Sea of Storms!”

“To that island we saw!” said Alrek.

The Guardians, Endeem Valos, and Xhu decided it was time to breach the Sea of Storms. If they could disrupt that third spell.....

Amren, Alrek, Daragru, Toki, Xhu, Ragnar, and Aethelric were awarded 400,000 exp. for defeating the Fiendish Forces

Neria received 200,000 exp for leading the Elvish Army into battle and killing a lot of devils (The DM played Neria, and she was not introduced to the Guardians during the game, but she was there).

Tomodachi received 1,000 exp for his absentee assistance.

Current Events : Due the quickness of the Guardian’s assault, Grindill stepped up his plans. He cast the second spell in the series of seven that he needs to have cast by the last day of the Sixth Year. He considers himself very fortunate that the Guardians left Indor. Had they been quicker about attacking Catemar, he could have been terminally delayed. Now he just has to keep them out of Indor again so that they don’t get a second chance. Grindill has given the Latipac Device to one of his priests to control the weather around the Guardians so that they would have no more storms to use. Disappointed in the Angels of Yam ibn Saud, Grindill is considering terminating the relationship he has with Yam ibn Saud.

Kherit has sent an ambassador to Itsitlawikanah to find out more about the Guardians and their activities from Samadhi. The Khemian ambassador seems intent on seducing the arch mage to get the information. Kherit has begun gathering stones for some sort of altar.

Sir Raloth has uncovered hellish information on the infernal alliances of Grindill.

A Recent History of Hell: The history of Hell could fill all the libraries that have ever existed and still lack information. This section discusses recent events and those past events that have a bearing on the current situation.

In the dim past the names of the rulers of each of Hell's seven layers found their way into the books and scrolls of learned men. Those who studied such forbidden lore knew that a being named Asmodeus dwelt in the deepest pit of Hell and ruled over the other lords. They also knew that the lords of Hell, being diabolical and selfish creatures, warred amongst themselves. Normally these were wars of unspoken threats and subtle machinations rather than clashing armies, but devils are not reluctant to spill blood when there is something to be gained. Eventually two camps arose, built around the most powerful of the dukes of Hell. A devil named Baalzebul led one faction and Mephistopheles the other. Asmodeus, apparently, stood alone.

The standoff was too precarious to last. War erupted between the forces of Mephistopheles (with his allies, Mammon and Dispater) and Baalzebul (backed by his viceroy Moloch and abettor Belial). The arch-devil Geryon gave his support to Mephistopheles, but altered everything when he revealed his ultimate loyalty to Asmodeus. During the final, titanic battle of that war, at Geryon's signal, the pit fiend generals of both armies turned on their masters and the arch-devils were defeated-not by each other, but by their own forces, who fought for (and were supported by) by the still-supreme Asmodeus.

To consolidate his power, Asmodius elevated the generals of the armies to be the new rulers of all devils. These eight pit fiends became the Dark Eight. Meanwhile, for reasons of his own, the Lord of Hell's Ninth Layer sought out the fallen and outcast arch-devils. He was not yet through with them. As Overlord of Hell and the only clear victor in the conflict, the Lord of Nessus began making deals with the arch-devils to support their reinstatement as rulers of their respective layers. In this way, Asmodeus reshaped the political power of the arch-devils so it was more to his liking. To be sure, neither Baalzebul nor Mephistopheles gave up their desires to overthrow Asmodeus as ruler of all Hell. But Asmodeus believes, probably correctly, that his position is more secure if his rivals are busy ruling one of his fiefs than if they are free to devote all their time to scheming against him.

Some arch-devils took the opportunity presented by Asmodeus's reprieve to fade deeper into the shadows of Hell, assuming more mysterious guises or different appearances. Many began calling themselves by their lesser-used names (for each such being has many names in many languages). Belial even placed his daughter in power over the Fourth Hell, where they rule together. The one exception to Asmodeus's clemency was Moloch, the former ruler of Hell’s sixth layer, who was cast down and replaced by a female devil named Malagard. The design behind this is not clear.

For reasons no mortal observer understood, Asmodeus made no deal with the one arch-devil that showed loyalty to him. Geryon, the deposed duke (sometimes referred to as the Forgotten Lord), was ignored entirely and faded into ambiguity in Stygia, the layer he once ruled. Prince Levistus, a dishonored arch-devil who had lain frozen in Stygia's ice for millennia, was awakened (although not released from the ice) and given dominion over the layer. As a final insult, Mammon, under the new identity of Minauros, even adopted a serpentine shape that resembled that of forgotten Geryon.

Recent events make it clear, however, that Asmodeus's ability to plan ahead truly knows no limit.

Notes on the Silver Dragon : Endeem Valos (“Talon Master”) is an adult Silver Dragon sent by Tomodachi to help the Guardians. He has two breath weapons. It can breathe a cone of cold or a cloud of paralyzation gas. This dragon is not native to Inzeladun and has lived in the Tower all of its life. His lair, and his hoard, can be found in the Tower of Magic.