Session 26: As Above, So Below Report

General Summary

After surviving an intense battle right in the heart of High Hall, your party was quick to pick up Lulu and try to find some way to revive the poor hollyphant. A tall, bent-over man in tattered brown robes, covered in dirt and blood stains found you from around the corner after the fight, and quickly ushered you into the catacombs leading from Torm's altar in the cathedral down into the Maze - the interconnected network of underground warehouses and stockyards that serves Elturel as a safe refuge in times of cataclysm.
The man, who did not introduce himself, took you into a room with a carved, vaulted ceiling, currently occupied by Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard and about forty Hellriders and Flaming Fist soldiers. The Grand Duke gave you a warm greeting, and after a short round of introductions, made an example out of the treacherous Hellrider knight who had sided with the devils in the fight for the cathedral. Having lost about forty men in the clash upstairs, the Duke made no great mystery of his resentment for turncoats as he instructed your guide to have the body burned outside of High Hall.
Taking you along a lengthy route through the Maze, eventually you were brought into a more bustling plaza with a clear sandstone dome, supported by both wooden as well as carved columns from the natural sandstone. It was there that the Duke's soldiers either returned to their daily duties, or where they were carried off to a dedicated hospital. Ravengard took you to a more private chamber within the complex, and you were joined by what the Duke called the civilian government; Pherria Jinks, the highest-ranking priest in the clergy of the Order of the Companion; Wobaer Triest, former undersecretary of the Treasury, now Acting Secretary for all civilian matters; and Lor Ryken, former ambassador to Iriaebor, now Acting Secretary of traded goods and de facto quartermaster of the Maze.
You discussed a great deal, with the party handing off Lulu to the clergy for safe keeping - apparently, the little elephant had a statue carved to her likeness in the catacombs, and it would seem fitting for her to rest there while everybody looks for a way to retrieve her soul from the afterlife. As you told the acting government of Elturel about your findings from Candlekeep and Baldur's Gate, they listened in quiet contemplation. Finally, Lor Ryken and Duke Ravengard started a discussion about the Helm of Torm's Sight, a powerful magical helm that is said to grant the wearer visions of possible futures - certainly if there was a way out of Elturel's current predicament, the Helm could help them on their way. It is said that the Helm lies buried with the Nameless Hero of Elturel in the Grand Cemetery, but nobody knows exactly where. Ravengard had attempted to persuade the knights to mount an expedition to the Cemetery twice before, but the Hell Knight invasions kept them from doing so. Now that a party of adventurers have become available, though... 
After finding Lor Ryken in the commissary, your had a pleasant conversation about your current needs, and what the High Hall could provide - you received a number of weapons with which to restock your personal arsenal. It didn't take you long to find a residence in the Maze, nearby the tunnel entrance so that if an incursion did take place, you were able to respond adequately and quickly to the summons. You all had a relatively peaceful night under the dark vaulted ceilings of the catacombs underneath the cathedral, except for Caja , who was visited by her former mentor, Rhivaun, who came to check in with her on account of their last interaction (which was when Caja left him a letter before running away). 
The entire party found Rhivaun the next day, and gathered together for breakfast - while the food in hell so far has had an ashy taste, the food from the catacombs was strangely gratifying and rather tasty, especially after a week of dusty meals that left a bad aftertaste. Portions were as large as you had seen in a while, and your joy was instantly felt at the table. When Rhivaun left to get the party some cahweh (a local caffeinated drink), Ronaldus Swanstone had a run-in with his darling grandmother, a dwarven woman with long, woven sideburns and a bushy mustache. She was endearingly proud of the wizard, and had no shame in displaying her affection for her favourite grandson in front of his friends. After a well-deserved breakfast with Rhivaun, however, the party decided it was best to be on their way. 
Leaving the Maze to travel to the Grand Cemetery, they passed by Lulu - the little hollyphant's body overshadowed by a statue carved in her likeness, with sized-down angel on her back. You had a look at the Creed Resolute, and found a passage that explained some younger Hellriders turning into dread Hell Knights - the blood of the Oathsworn is bound to Naja Bellandi's bargain as is the person who pledged their oath themselves, now leaving Caja at risk as well... Ron also saw that the binding of the book hid away a shimmer, but the party thought it best to leave that intact for the time being, bidding thanks to Pherria Jinks before turning back to the Maze, looking for a way to get closer to the Cemetery through the tunnels of the Maze...

Campaign

Descent into Avernus

Protagonists

Fenrir Firecam

Ronaldus Swanstone

Caja

Report Date

26 May 2023