Trip to Avernus

With no clue as to where Milo could be and no way to get him back, the remaining members of the Hand of Destiny were at a loss for what to do. They went back to the tavern to confer with Gralmor and Zenriel. Zen could do nothing to help them get their friend back but she was ready to go into Avernus to free her mistress, the lady Tiamat, Goddess of Chaos and Mother of all Chromatic Dragons. 

For various reasons, they had all agreed to help her achieve this goal. They got ready to leave and asked Gralmor to stay behind and watch for Milo. If he returned while they were away, he would need someone’s help to get to safety. When they were ready, they gathered in a circle with Gralmor off to the side to see them off. Zenriel asked if they had found their way in and out of Avernus. Kaladrax stepped forward and showed her the compass his friend Joldras had given him. Armed with a way to get back from where they were going, Zenriel presented them with the focal object they needed to. It was the Chromatic Great-Axe of Tiamat. Her own weapon to tune in on her location.

It was said to need the five gemstones that represented the colors of the chromatic scale but Zenriel had gotten them all already and embedded them into the axe. They were ready in all but action. Without further delay, they cast Planar Shift and headed into Avernus. There was a sensation of disorientation and the next moment a blast of heat that burned the air in their lungs. It was a cruel wasteland that they landed in. The vast expanse was a cacophony of demonic activity. In the distance a band of roving demons on macabre vehicles of death as they hunted on the sand that covered everything in sight. 

Zenriel was covered in her cloak and the rest of the party was already wearing the cult robes of Asmodeus they had collected after the fight with his cult in the City of the Dead. They were uncomfortable in the exhausting heat of this place but were not taking damage from the intensity of that heat. They traveled for a ways until they came close to the gates of what looked like a city of sorts. There they met a strange deformed creature that limped towards them and was to act as guide for the group. Zenriel had paid for passage and handed the creature a small brown sack that was wet and squished as it fell into its hand. The party had to look the other way since they couldn’t do anything for whatever was now squished by the creature’s fingers in a death grip. It grinned at them and beckoned as it headed off towards the gates. 

As they gained ground towards the gates, the creature warned them not to fly in this realm. It was forbidden to fly in the territory that belonged to Asmodeus and he knew about all that happened in his realm, especially flight. Only his demon hordes were allowed flight in his domain. A cloud of demons was fighting off in the distant sky. Blood rained where they fought as hundreds clashed in the sky, uncaring of the no flight rule or willing to die for it. They reached the gates without too much hassle and made their way inside thanks to the creature and another sticky payment being handed out in a small leather sack. 

The city was another nightmare all on its own. People of all species were being sold on various auction blocks. Souls in jars were being sold for exorbitant amounts of gold or other souls. A demon stole something off a table and ran, only to be ripped apart by bone devils for its crimes. They saw little of the city as they passed through from one end to the other but what they saw was enough for them to never want to return.

The group passed through the gates out of town without incident and kept going. Kariss had wanted to buy a soul to free when they got back but the group decided against it. It would draw undue attention to them when they were already trying to stay incognito. On the other side of the gates, the Hand of Destiny stopped for a moment to get their bearings and rest. Meanwhile, Milo was dealing with his own adventure in a strange place of mirrors.