The Grand Cemetery
General Summary
Day 4?
The City of Elturel, Avernus, First Layer of the Nine Hells
Wink's Warriors arrived at the Grand Cemetery to find it guarded by several large skeletal minotaurs.
Midgard had joined the group after their encounter with the large demons. Gorn had left to return to High Hall after they ran into two families who were holding up in an abandoned house. Gorn offered to lead the survivors back to High Hall to join the others while the rest continued on to the Grand Cemetery.
Ten-foot-high brass fence that once surrounded Elturel’s cemetery had fallen in numerous places, and a wide gate allowing access to the grounds had been torn from its hinges. Severed humanoid body parts adorned the spikes atop the fence posts. Some of the body parts wriggled and writhed as if undead, twitching in concert with the lightning flashes of the Companion.
Cracked gravestones and crumbling monuments were scattered across the cemetery grounds, whose center was occupied by a chapel dedicated to Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. That once-holy structure now glowed with a fetid purple radiance.
Several large skeletal minotaurs guarded the entrance to the chapel.
As the group walked towards the chapel, they were greeted by a dark-skinned human man who asked what business they had at the cemetery. The man wore a holy symbol of Lathander, the sun god.
The group said they were searching for Ulder Ravengard. The man, who said his name was Gideon Lightward, said he had seen Ulder arrive with several other soldiers and had made their way down into the ossuary to find the Helm of Torm's Sight. Gideon warned the group that demons had been coming out of the ossuary, perhaps through a portal somewhere.
The group realized that the portal may be the reason they had encountered demons on the way to the cemetery. They offered to find a means of closing the portal if they would be allowed to go to the ossuary. Gideon agreed to let them pass.
When Midgard asked Gideon how he came to command the skeletal minotaurs which the cleric said were known to worship Baphomet, a demon lord, Gideon said the minotaur had arrived through the portal days before. Once he defeated the minotaurs, he turned them all into undead minions.
The group thought it strange that a cleric of Lathander would turn defeated foes into skeleton minions, but decided not to push Gideon into a possible encounter. They needed to find Ulder and soon.
After passing through interior chapels left in ruin save for a few intact stained glass windows, Wink's Warriors found the stairs Gideon had said would lead them down into the ossuary.
The walls of the ossuary were lined with funerary shelves, each set with dusty humanoid bones. Relics and holy symbols of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr had been set prominently on a number of shelves. The group also found an empty workshop that was once used to prepare the dead for burial, a meditation room, and a room with statues honoring renowned worshippers. One statue was that of Lannish Fogel, which Jade recognized as resembling the man she saw in the stained-glass window upstairs. The man's name was visible in the stained glass window. No one knew who the man was but it was clear that a helm once adorned the statue's head.
The group searched the room and found tracks that belonged to demons and also booted tracks that may have belonged to Ulder Ravengard and the soldiers with him.
The booted tracks led the group to a chamber. A shallow meditation pool filled this room, set off from a broad landing edged by a low wrought-iron railing. Wondrous frescoes along the walls depicted souls gaining the blessings of Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. The frescoes on one wall had been twisted into abyssal forms surrounding a shimmering portal.
The pool was littered with the mutilated bodies of humans wearing the uniforms of Baldur’s Gate and Elturel. The swirling water of the pool roiled with shadows and was shot through with patches of black ichor where demons had fallen.
An armored man with a shield slung over his back was crouched among the bodies, writhing in pain. His eyes were closed, and his hands clutched at a gold helm on his head as if trying in vain to claw it off. Unintelligible words spilled from his lips, some sounding saintly and solemn, while others resonated with a cruel hissing.
They knew they had found Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard.
The group tried to speak to Ulder but he didn't seem to be aware of their presence. They attempted to take the helm off but it was fused to the man's skull. Ulder cried out in pain as they tried to pry the helm off. They stopped trying realizing they may kill Ravengard in the attempt to free him of the helm.
As the adventurers observed the struggle taking place within Ravengard, three wild-eyed demons resembling large orangutans come through the portal. They immediately charged into battle with the group but were clearly avoiding Ravengard for some reason.
Wink's Warriors were victorious in the end and suffered only a few scratches and bruises.
After, Midgard was able to close the portal with a Dispel Magic spell. They then decided to take Ravengard back to High Hall after a Remove Curse spell cast by Midgard failed to free Ravengard of what ailed him. The group recalled that Pherria was a sage who specialized in exorcism and possession. As such, she might be able to help Ravengard.
On the way out, they once again ran into Gideon Lightward. He thought Ravengard was responsible for
rousing the demons., but the group was able to convince him otherwise, so Gideon once again let them pass without incident.
**
Upon returning to the High Hall cathedral with Ulder Ravengard, the adventurers were greeted by Pherria Jynks and a druid named Seltern Obranch, whom Pherria said arrived soon after the adventurers left High Hall. Both Pherria and Seltern rushed to aid them in getting the grand duke to a safe resting place.
In preparation for the ritual, Pherria cleansed the altar of Torm in High Hall so the ritual could be performed before it. She splashed the altar with holy water taken from the font in the catacombs. She then had Gorn stand in front of the restored altar and recite a special prayer to Torm. Pherria said that only this prayer can break evil’s hold on Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard’s mind. She added that a powerful symbol of courage and self-sacrifice was needed to empower the ritual. Pherria suggested using Redemption, the greatsword of the Unknown Hero, which Gorn now possessed. Gorn readily agreed to use the sword if it would help the grand duke. Pherria warned the others that she had never attempted this particular ritual before but was confident it would work.
With Ravengard laying on the altar, Pherria, Seltern, and Gorn began the ritual. The ritual lasted for nearly an hour.
When the ritual was completed, they were able to remove the Helm of Torm's Sight from Ravengard. The grand duke also came to his senses, was able to thank the members of Wink's Warriors for saving him, but soon fell back asleep.
Pherria said Ravengard needed to rest. She then took the helm and placed it on the altar nearby. She hoped when Ravegard recovered, he would be able to tell them if the helm had provided him with the knowledge of returning the city of Elturel back to Toril.
While Ravengard rested, Wink's Warriors decided to get some much needed rest as well.
Grank Duke Ulder Ravengard
Report Date
23 Dec 2021
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