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contentsIncluding the Background of our story, a Summary of the adventure, notes fo r Preparing to Play, and anoverview of the Factions and nonplayer Characters tha t may become Involved.apter I: THESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .In which a Paladin is beset by Fiends, and the Heroes are charged with recovering a dear Object that hasbeen Lost.In which the Heroes may seek ai d from the citizens of ribcage to ease thei r Passage through a dark andevil p lane.In which the Heroes mu st cross the Perilous wasteland of avernus in search of the Doorway to Dis.In which the heroesIn which the Heroes seek and ind the Object of their Quest within the treacherous Iron Tower ofDispater.

CHAPTER VI: HEARTSNDMINDSIn which the Heroes restorFiend, a faithl ess Paladin, and a shifting Gate-town.Including the dark of Magic on Baator, the considerable Powersby which they may suffer Harm.

. . .N INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CHAPTER II: UNDER THE ribs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

CHAPTERII: RED JOURNEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER V A city THAI BURNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34CHAPTER v THE ord OF dis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46. . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56d must Resolve the differing Fates of a cunningan APPENDIX:N BAATOR ND THE BAATEZU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

there, and the Ways

C R E D tOriginal Design: Steve Perrin + Editing an d Additional Design: Ray Vallese

Conceptual Artist: Dana Knutson + Interior Artist: DiTerlizzi + Cartography: Rob LazzarettiColor Plates: S cott Burdick, Ned Dameron, Dana Knutson, Alan Pollack, Sam RakelandGraphics Coordinator: Sarah Feggestad +Art C oordinator: Peggy CooperElectronic Prepress Coordinator: Tim coumbe + Typograp hy: Angelika Lokotz

Border Art: Robert Repp + Graphic Design: Dee Bamett, Dawn MurinProofreaders: David Wise, Tim Beach, Michele CarterDesign R eview an d Spe cial Thanks: Rich Baker, Mon te Cook, Colin McComb

A D V A N C E DU N G E O N S DRAGONS, D H D , a n d MONSTROUSO M P E N D I U Mr eregis tered t rademarks ow ned by TSR, inc . PLANESCAPEn d th e TSR l o g o aret rademarks owned by TSR, Inc. All TSR characters , character names , and thedistinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks awned by TSR, Inc. O 1995 TSR, Inc.All Rights Reserved. Random House and i ts af f i lia te companies have wor ldwidedis t r ibut ion r ights in th e book t rade for English- language products of TSR, Inc.Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. Distributed to thebook and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. This material is protectedunder the copyr ight laws of the United S tates of America . Any reproduct ion orunauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohibited without the expresswritten consent of TSR, inc.

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A dastardly plots hatching in Dis, a chance for thehordes of u l t i m a t e e v i l t o s t r i k e a h a m m e r - b l o wagainst the forces of good. Itll take cutters with brainsas sharp a s their swords to journe y into fie ry Baator itself and try to pu t thingsright. But look out, berk, cause theres plots on top of lots, and it s hard to see thedark of things when youre caught in afiendish peel1

BAC KG roUN DT h e p l an e o f t h e O u t l an d s i s th eo r e t i ca l l y s h ap edsomewha t l ike a r ing, and alo ng i ts outer edge l ie s ixteen gate- towns, so n am edbecause they were bu il t a roun d o r near ga tes lead ing to the s ix teen su r round ingOuter Planes. For the most part, the attitudes and beliefs of the folks in each to wnmirror the natu re of the plane the burgs associated with. So the town ofPlague-Mort, for example, built around th e gate to th e Abyss,

is about as chaotic and evil a gate-town as a bodyd everwan t to see. Excelsior, on the otherhand, poised at the base ofMount Celestia, is a town th atliterally glows, full of sods sopleasant they might d rive a visi-tor barmy. F act is, if the folks in agate-town get so worked up that itbecomes too much like its next-door plane,the whole place goes sliding right off the Outlands and becomes part of the plane.Well, berk, the chant is Fortitudes finally ready to make the big leap into arca-dia. The Harmonium - he faction with the strongest influence in the gate-town andthe plane as well - has been whipping the folks of Fortitude into a fevered pitch oforder, harmony, and good, hoping t o push the towns alignment to the p oint whereitll sta rt to slide. Wha t few know, though , is the dark of the factions zeal: Theywan t to make up for land they lost from Arcadia. See, they brought chaotic typesinto the lawful plane to turn them into proper ci tizens, but the inf lux of chaoscaused a whole layer of Arcadia to slip into ano ther plane.To usher Fortitude into Arcadia, the factions planned a sparkling ceremony -dubbed the Harmonious Ascension - and theyve arranged for a much-venerated

paladin from Arcadia to preside. This paladin, known as Daneel the S miter of Fiends,has cut such a noble swath through the forces of evil with his famous holy avengersword Guardian that hes practically the living embodiment of law and order. With ahit of luck, his presence a nd gu idance a t the ceremonyll stir up th e citizens of Forti-tude just enou gh to push th e town over the edge.

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Daneels legendary campaign s against evil have earned him a few enemies, not theleast of which is the archduke Dispater, ruler of Dis on the plane of Baator. Practi-cal ly a power , Dispater could kil l the pala din easi ly enou gh - f tha t s how thebaatezu went about their business. However, the lawful fiends prefer to outwit theirenemies and ensnare them in subtle traps.Dispaters got just such a trap laid out for Daneel. From Anarchist spies whovewormed their way into the ranks of the Harmonium, Dispater learned that Daneelsmaking a trip to Sigil to meet with fa ctol Sarin jus t a few days before the Ascen-sion. The archdukes arranged for a ga ng of baatezu to w aylay the paladin, lif t hisprized holy sword, and bring it back to the iron Tower on Dis. When righteous hash-ers come after the sword, Dispaterll let em have it hack w ithout too much fuss -primarily because the swordll he tainted by then, inscribed with a secret gate spelldesigned to open a path between the planes.A b l o o d can p r o b ab l y g u es s w h a t l l h ap p en n ex t . T h e holy avengerll b ereturned to Daneel, and th e Hardheadsll start the Ascension ju st as quick as theycan. But as soon as Fortitude starts to shift, th e swordll open a g ate to Dis, allowingthe spirit of a fiend to come through and take control of Daneel. The fiendll make

- harmoniumproverb

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P R E P A R I N G for playFirst of all, the Dung eon M aster (DM) should read Fires ofdis before running it, to get a sense of how the adven-ture should unfold. The d m should also he familiar with the PLAN ESCAPEampaign Setting, the boxed set thatintroduces the m ajesty of the planes, in order to get the most fun ou t of Fires ofdis and run a campaign rich withplanar flavor and feel. In addition, a d m may w ant to expand his or her knowledge of the planes with the Planeso f aw Campaign Expansion boxed set, which includes a 32-page sourcebook on the nine layers of Baator, andthe planescape MONSTROUSOMPENDIUM@ppendix , which reveals in full the dark of the baatezu and their powers.Throughout Fires ofdis, the DM will f ind italicized text in am ber, meant to he read to or paraphrased forthe players. I tems marked with ambe r diamonds +) are meant for the DMs eyes only. Special DM NOTES lsoappear throughou t the adventure, providing extra information or advice on handling situations.Fires ofD i s is designed for a party of four to six characters of 5th to 9th levels. However, it can be adaptedfor play by larger or more experienced parties by pumping u p the strength of the opposition. The DM can replacesome of the fiends encountered w ith more powerful types of baatezu. Whats more, the DM c an make full use ofthe baatezus ability to gate other fiends into a fight, and any baatezu that appear can try to gate in still others.The DM may wish to reduce or eliminate the baatezus use of the gate ability for parties that are less pow-erful or less experienced. Assum e the fiends know of Dispaters ultim ate goal and don t wish to kill the PCs (orthat they simply prefer to teleport to safety rather than continue to fight).Course, any cutters that try to hack their wa y through this adventure will hit the blinds, or find themselvesin the dead-book. The PCs will run into many situations where swordplay is not the best solution to the prob-lem. Remember, berk - a PLANESCAPEampaign is about ideas, not ju st beast-bashing. Reward player charactersfor thinking as well as for using the ir weapons.

the poor sod spill innocent blood and turn stag on his faith in front of the whole town.Daneels career as a paladinll be cut short, and hell spend the rest of his days inbase humiliation, if he aint killed outright. Whats more, the sight of such arespected hero of legend abandoning his noble idealsll be enough to disillusion thegathered masses and make the Harmonious Ascension grind to a spirit-shattering halt.cutters brave enough, greedy enough, or addle-coved enough to venture into Baator and steal theholy avenger bac k from Dispaters Iron Tower

Fact is, its a pret ty clever schem e, and all itll take to work itself out is a bun ch of -

ADVE nture summaryThe playe r cha racte rs (PCs) begin the a dve nture in Sigil, the City of Doors, milling about th e Great Bazaar andsoaking up the exotic flavor of goods from a hundred worlds.In Chapter I the PCs get the c hanc e to save Daneel from a haatezu attack. D epending upon their actions,theyre either hired or forced by th e Harmo nium to retrieve the stolen sword an d bring it to Fortitude for theAscension. Ideally, they take a portal from Sigil to the gate-town of Ribcage, but PCs in a hurry m ay try to godirectly to stinking Baator itself.If they tak e the po rtal to Ribcage, in Chapter he PCs am ve jus t outside the town, in the moun tain rangeknown as the Vale of the Spine. In Ribcage they can find a guide thatll lead them throug h Baator, a pass ofsafe condu ct to fend off the fiends of the plane, and perha ps even a cover story to help them bluff their waythrough hazardous encounters.

In Chapter III the heroes arrive on the endless, red plain of Avernus, the first layer of Baator. They mustmake their way across the wasteland - braving da ngers from the terrain and the inhabitants alike - n order toreach the lair of t i amat , queen of evil dragonkind which con tains the gate leading to Dis.In Chapter IV the PCs f ind themselves o n Dis, the second layer of Baator, near the infinite city of thesame name. They must t ravel to and through the burni ng ci ty - ull of enslaved petitioners forced to continu-ally destroy and rebuild the scorching roads and structure s - and g ain entrance to the m utating Iron Tower ofDispater.In Chapter V the cu t ter s may use a new magical i tem to explore the tower and recover the s tolen holy

avenger. Eventually confronted by the avatar of Dispater (and a few dozen other fiends), the PCs learn that thearchdukes only too glad to let them have the sword - for a small price. But whether they barely escape fromthe tower or leave with Dispaters blessing, the PCs still must deal with a pit fiend who a ttempts to twist the sit-uation to his advantage.In Chapter VI the PCs deliver the sword to th e Harmonium in Fortitude and witness th e seeming corruptionof dane el at the ceremo ny of Ascension. They must stop the ensuing campaign of evil, defeat the fiend control-ling the paladins body, and , through their actions or inactions, decide the ultimate fate of the town.

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nonplayer characters ( N P C s )daneel smiter of fiendsMale human planar. 13th-level paladin, Harmonium; lawful goodstr 18 INTDEX 15 wisC O N 16 CHA

15 HP 7414 AC -218 THACO 8

EQUIPMENT:ield plate armor +2; ong sword +5, oly avenger.SPECIAL:aneels Strength gives him a + 1 bonus to hit and a +2bonus on damage; his Charisma gives him a -7 bonus o n reac-t ions; an d his Dexter i ty gives him a 1 bonu s to Armor Class(alrea dy added i n) . His high level al lows him two at tac ks perround.Daneels a tal l , s trapp ing man with the perfectly chiseledfeatures and noble hearing of a m arble statu e come to life. Raisedin For t i tude, on the legends of fear less dwarven raids o n t h eforces of evil, Daneel trained to become a paladin at a young ageand now serves Marduk , a g rea ter power on the first layer ofArcadia.D an eel s p en d s m o s t o f h i s t im e l ead i n g h i s w a r b an d i nfierce assaults ont o th e Lower Planes. His powerful holy avengersword Guardian was made especially for his use by the dwarveso f M o u n t C l an g g ed i n i n A r cad i a , an d t o g e t h e r D anee l an dGuardian have approached legendary status.DM NOTE: When role-playing Daneel, be sure to use a stiltedvocabulary and sentence structure, as in this sentence: Wellmet, friends ; thy quick steel and good hearts has t truly saved mefrom a fate most gruesome.flamen thermaFemale tiefling planar4th-level fighter / 5th-level cleric, Dustmen; lawful evilstr 16 INTDEX 8 wisCON 11 CHA

I O HP 3212 AC 412 THACO 17

EQUIPMENT:htdded leather armor +2,mace +4.SPECIAL:hermas Strength gives her a + 1 bonus on damage. Shehas the fo l lowing spells memorized: bless , cure l ight wounds(x2 ), lame blade, hold person, protection from fire, and slow poi-son. As a tiefling, she also possesses the special abilities of thatrace. Thermas one of the m ost t rusted mem bers of the Flamenfamily of Ribcage, a group of clergy related not by blood but bytheir devotion to the haatezu. Its leader, Flamen Pontifus, allowsTherma to take supplicants onto Baator to worship the f iendsthere, and she looks forward to su ch excursions onto he r belovedplane.I f t h e PCs d i s g u i s e t h em s e l v es a s s u p p l i can t s a n d h i r eTherma to lead them into Dis, she lectures them on the ways ofthe baatez u an d counsels the party to make the proper obeisance.Course, supplicants must submit to w hatever abu se the haatez uwish to inf lict . I f the PCs seem reluctant , Therma f irs t doubtstheir strength of will and eventually begins to suspect theyre nottrue supplicants at all.

herfik +HE silentMale githzerai planar8th-level thief, Fated; c haotic neutralSTR 12 int 12 HP 6DEX 17 wis 9 AC 5CON 10 CHA 8 THACO 17EQUIPMENT:cale mail armor, short sword I , ring of invisibility.SPECIAL:s a githzerai, Herfik has an innate plane shifting abil-ity, though hell use it only if about to lose his life. He also ha s amagic resistance of 40%; his sword and ring have permanentlyescaped bein g rendered inert.Her fik r ece ived h is sa t i r ica l n ickna me f rom h is cur ren temployer, B arius Sha rpsplinter of Rihcage, because th e gloomygithzerai cant ever seem to shut his whining bone-box. herfiksp a i d t o l e ad t r av e l e r s i n t o B aa t o r , b u t h e s n o t p a r t i cu l a r l ypleased abo ut working for Sharpsplinter - memory of his racesenslavement by mind flayers makes him overly sensitive to tak-ing orders.I f the PCs go to R ibcage and h i r e Her f ik a s a gu ide , thethiefll do his job. However, he doesnt feel hes paid well enou ghto f ight earnest ly a t their s ide as well . I f the PCs are s trong lychallenged by baatezu, Herfik does what he ca n to sav e his ownskin.krii KPit fiendTHACO 7; #AT 6; Dmg ld4 /1d4 /1d6 / ld6 /2d6 /2d4 (+6 t rengthbonu s); AC -5; HD 13; hp 84; M V 15, FI 24 (C); SA fear, po ison,tail constriction; SD regeneration, + 3 weapons to hit; MR 50 ;SZ L (12 feet t all) ; INT ge niu s (1 8) ; AL LE; ML fea rless (19);XP2 1,000.EQUIPMENT:None.SPE C I A L :n ad d i t i o n t o t h e m ag i ca l ab i l i t i e s i n h e r en t t o a l lbaate zu, Kriik has the following spell-like powers: detect magicdetect invisibilit y, fireball, g ate, hold perso n, impr oved invisibil-ity, polymorph self, produce flame, pyrotechnics, wall o f ire (alo n ce per r o u n d ) , an d symbol o fpa in i (onc e pe r day) . Kriiksalready used his one wish spell for the year. His gate ability letsh im au tomat ica l ly sum mon two lesser b aa t ezu o r one greatebaatezu.Kriik serves the a rchdu ke Dispater in the Iron Tower on Disbut hes been disappointed with man y of his lords act io ns ola te . The f iend sees t h e t h e f t o f t h e holy avenger a s a g r a n dopportunity to embarrass the archduke, an d he plans on assistingany adventurers who come looking for th e sword. Course, hedprefer to keep the power fu l weapon fo r h im se l f , and secre tlyplots to twist an y agreement he makes to his own ad vantage.Dispater knows this and is, in fact, counting on it. Hes ledKriik to believe that the fiend could actually turn stag on a Lordof the Nine and get away with it. Dispaters kept Kriik in thedark as to the t ru th beh ind the thef t and r e tu rn o f Guardianhoping the ambitious pit f ie nd s machinations will ensure tha t aparty makes it to the tower a nd recovers the sword.

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At the beginning of Fires of Dis, the player charactersare browsing through the Great Bazaar in Sigil whentheyre bobbed by t he fiends sent to steal the holychapter 1: avenger from Daneel. Whether the PCs rush to thepaladins aid or leave him to his fate, the Harmonium gets wind oftheir involvement and convinces them - with garnish or muscle -to retrieve the stolen sw ord. The party must the n tumb le to theworkings of a nearby portal to Rihcagc or hunt down a dangerousdrop right into Baator. However, before they leave the Cage, theyfind that a few other folks have different plans for the sword.dm NOTE: Feel free to invent an y reason for the party t o hewande ring throug h t he stalls of the G reat Bazaar. Course, shop ping fo r basicequipment to replenish lost stock or rations is always a g ood idea, especially if thePCs have jus t returned from an other planar adventure, A party new toSigil could he pulled in by magical ms floating throu gh

r h c streets around . bazaar, which cajolepassersby into s p pling the fine wares of-- L their ow ners stalls.A

THE F I E N D I S H plotThanks to the c hant passed their way by the Revolutionary League, the baatezuknow t hat th e paladin Daneels arrived in Sigil, and th at the holy ave nger is at hisside. The fiends plan to lure Daneel into an alleyway , where they can deal him a fewsatisfying blows and wrest the hated sword from his grasp. Heres how: A gelu-gonll use his polymorph selfability to assum e the form of a wrinkled female elf,and an ahishaill play the savage attack er. When Daneel spies the scene hessure to rus h to th e elfs defense, and all the fiendsll jum p th e righteo us sod.The haatezu also wa nt w itnesses for the attack. Remember, herk,

the fiends want some cutters to come to Baator and take back the sword;besides, theyd hate to pass up an opportunity to embarrass or humiliate

S-I-EP RIGH-I- U P ,cutters -be + H E first on your worldsto BUYA piece of here planes. thepaladin.at the rate

theyre goingthese D E A L S last THE GREALE BAZAAR

f orever The Great Bazaar The kind of place thatd drive even a Sensate barmy, withso many things to sample from so many different worlds that itd take tenlift-times to try them all. This whole part of sigils swam ped in a sea of cara-bob prim s into van tents and breakaway stalls, topped with lags draped with banners, fes-tooned with hangings of every color and design. Here, the merchants of a

hundred planar and prime worlds set up their carts, offeringfood, drink,rugs, pots, clothing, rope, stoneware - anything that a visitor to the City of

Doors might want or need. And since ju s t about every berk and blood in the multi-verse tromps through the Cage at some poin t or other, its a bet tha t the merchantshere have something to meet every taste.

The DM should allow the PCs to b uy an y basic equipment they m ight need -within reason, of course. This is a common, open-air market where visitors can findnecessities, comforts, and odd trinkets, not a place to pick up magical items handover foot. It could he fun to have a stall offer items from the home world of one ofthe characters, hut remember tha t a lot of the stuff for sale just aint going to he forhum an (or even humanoid) consumption.Poss ib le goods an d se rvices to he lp a D M spice up th e marke tplace mightinclude:

- m erchan t ry ing toBUYING L A N D I N limbo

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THE pickpocketRead or paraphrase the following to one of the PCs before the pa rty leaves the bazaa r:You feel a body bump u p again st you from behind. W ith the crush of beings in the marketplace, you dontpa y it much m ind. Then again, this aint exactly the safest part of Sigil.Repeat the occurrence until the PC decides to check his or her possessions, at which time a valued objectturns up missing. Still in the form of the tiefling, the gelugon has lifted an item from the PC - anything thatcan be stolen easily and looks like itll be sorely missed: a purse or pouch of gold, a gem-studded dagger, awand, or an y small object. The DM ca n feel free to make any item be the target, but he or she should he certainits something the PCs wont take kindly to losing. The gelugon wants to be chased.When the PCs scan the crowd for the thief, read the following:You see a lean humanoid with pointed ears moving quickly through the crowd, aw ay fro m you . He gives a

DM NOTE: If any member of the party previously spotted the polymorphed gelugon, he or she should recog-look back, and the wicked gleam in his eye seems to pale a bit when he notices youve spotted him.nize the thief as the berk who was peering at them earlier.the C H A S EThe PCs will probably chase after the gelugon. If they seem reluctant, the DM should encoura ge pursuit by not-ing th at the tieflings hav ing a hard tim e slipping through the crowds (perha ps hampered by a slight limp).When the party comes after him, the gelugon leads them down a street heading away from the market-place and a round a com er, running past the alley where the rest of the baatezu are attacking Daneel. He runsslowly enough to keep the party interested, but quickly enough so they dont actually catch up. Course, the PCsshould think the thief is doing his level best to give em the laugh.Once the gelugon has led the pursuers near the alley, he rounds a comer, uses his teleport without errorability to pop to the nearest portal to Baator, and goes through to the wasteland of Avernus, where he waits forthe rest of the team. The stolen object goes with him, though the players might find it again in the Iron Toweron Dis.

DM N O T E : With the gelugons speed and head start, the PCs cant physically catch up to him, and his highmagic resistance (50 )and saving throws (based on 1 1 Hit Dice) mea ns spells probably w ont work either. B utif the party does ma nage to stop or trap the fiend, he simply teleports away, making it look as if hes using aring o r other magical item to get away. The DM should then run The Fiends Peel as soon as the PCs walkdown a ny street away from the marketplace (do this also if the party refuses to chase the gelugon at all).

spirit candy - hardenedhits of various sweet meads thatare said to contain the spirits of beings fromfar-flung prime worlds.a wriggling sack of larvae from the Lower Planes,offered by a hideous night hag to a glabrezu asfodder for the en dless Blood Wa r.black, foul-tasting mushrooms said to be dug fromthe roots of Yggdrasil, the plane-spanning oak.a stoppered glass bottle, gu ara nte ed to be filled with air from the peak ofMou nt Ce lestia thatll purify the evil right ou t of an y herk who gives it a whiff.sedan chairs carried by teams of stone giants, offering rides through the streets in style.light bowls, forged out of rock from the Elemental Plane of Fire, that, when lit, burn withbright flame until snuffed out.

The DM shou ld let the PCs role-play and haggle with merchants a s long as theyre having fun. As soon astheyre ready to leave the marketplace, run ThePickpocket.DM NOTE: While the PCs are mulling over the m arkets goods, theyre being watched by th e second-in-com-mand of the team of baatezu sent to steal the holy avenger. This fiend, a gelugon, has used his polymorph selfability to pose as a w iry male tiefling. Hes sizing up the crowd for possible witnesses to their crime. After a bitof observation, the fiend decides that the PCs are promising candidates.Any player characters who indicate that theyre on the lookout for trouble should be allowed to make a

Wisdom check. If they succeed, they spot the gelugon - a wicked-looking humanoid in a dark green tunic -staring at them through the crowds. A second later, the stranger vanishes into the mass of beings, and the PCscan no longer find him.

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T H E F I E N D S ' P E E LWhen the PCs pass by the putrid alley, they see the rest of thehaatezu party - a gelugon and three abishai - attacking the pal-adin Daneel.

A large man in chain mail is being savaged by a handful ofhideous creatures - a 12-foot-tall insectlike beast and threeshorter monsters that look like gargoyles rip at him with theirrazor-sharp claws and tails, dancing around him as if toyingwith a rat. Though dazed and bloodied, the man swings repeat-edly at th e iends with a long sword that glows brightly in histight grip.I f the PCs join the f ray, the baatezu - who expected thepar ty to pass the al ley - act as i f the cutters ' appearance is anunwelcome development. The abishai

GREEN bishai (3):THACO 15; #AT 3; Dmg ld4/1d 4/1d4 +1; AC 3;HD 5 +2; hp 35 e ach; MV 9, F1 12 (C); SA poison, dive; SD regen-eration, + 1 weapons to hit; MR 30 ; SZ L (7 feet tall); INT aver-age (9);AL LE; ML average (IO); XP 8,000.Spell-like abilities: change self; command, produce Jame , pryo-technics, and scare.

ove forward to attack the PCs,blocking them from reaching Daneeland the gelugon. Under orders not tokill the PC witnesses, the fiends restrainthemselves from using their full powers,but gleefully inflict nonfatal damage upon theW

par ty

what this?'TIS but A SCRA-I-CH- d a n e e lsmiter o f F I E N D S ,- -After a few rounds of battle (or if any fiends are actuallyin dan ger of being ki l led or captured) , the gelugon b r ings thefight to a n end with its tremendous 18/76 trength. Rather thancause itself pain by touching the hated holy avenger, the gelugonsimply takes Daneel's whole arm:The towering, insectlikefiend lunges toward the man andgrabs his right arm, which grips the glowing sword. W ith a power-fu l yank, t he iend tears the ann off at the shoulder; the sword'slight dies, though the gloved hand refuses to relinquish its graspon the weapon. The man slumps back against the razorvine-cov-ered wall of the alley, on the verge of fainting.

The tall fiend issues a raspy command to the others: "Forgetthe meat We've got dispaters prize "The gelugon and the abishai then use their teleport withouterror ab i l i ty to escape to the sewer por ta l a nd r e tu rn to the i rp lane . Daneel a t te r ed , confused , and g ravely wounded -swings his remaining fist a few times at the pa rty until calmed.He mutters the word "Guardian" a few times before collapsing atthe party's feet.

DM NOTE: During the fight, the baatezu won't try to gate inre in forcements , so that abil i ty is not detai led in the s tat is t icsbelow.S K I P P I N G the fightIf the PCs chase the thief instead of stopping to fight, they roundthe next comer and find no trace of him. Me anwhile, the baatezutoy with the wounded paladin for another Id3 + 2 rounds, but ifat least one PC doesn ' t return to th e al ley by then, the f iendssimply take the sword and return to Baator, f iguring that they'vebeen seen, and that's good enough.GELUGON:HACO 9; #AT 4; Dmg ld4/1d4/2d4/3d4 (al l with +4Stre ngth bon us); AC - 3; HD 1 1 ; hp 63 ; M V 15 ; SA tail freeze,fear; SD regeneration , +2 weapons to hit; MR 50%; SZ H (12 feettall); INT genius (18); AL LE; ML champion (16);XP 19,000.Spel l - l ike ab i l i t i es : detect invis ibi l ity ( a lways ac t ive) , detectmagic, fly, po lymorp h self; and wall of ice.

enter he H A R D H E A D SOne way or another, the Harmonium's going to get involved inthe recovery of Guardian. However, the PCs can handle the situ-ation in a number of ways:ST R A I G H TO THE BARRACKS: I f th e PCs take a close look aDaneel, they notice the symbol of the Harmonium on his breast-plate - a light blue shield, split by a sword with a glowing han-dle. As Daneel is unconscious, bleeding, and probably poisonedthe party should get the idea to take him to the City Barracks, theheadquarters of the Harmonium. Proceed with "The Barracks,"below.

NOT MY PROBLEM: I f the PCs leave the paladin lying in th ealley, o r never joi ned the ba ttle at all, Daneel's racked body isfound 2d4 turns later by a Harmonium patrol. They take him tothe Barracks for rest and healing, and int imidate the populaceun t i l a f ew fo lks r epor t hav ing see n the PCs near the a l leyTroops of six Hardheads each fan out across the city, looking forthe party. Proceed with "Scragged," on page 13.A SHORT DETOUR: I f the PCs drag Daneel anyw here hu t theBarracks, he comes around in ld6 turns and desperately asks tohe taken to his faction headquarters. Though too weak to answemany questions along the way, Daneel can spill the dark on thefollowing:

+H e c a m e t o S i gi l t o m e e t w i t h f a c t o l S a r i n b e f o r esomething called "the Ascension.''He tried to stop a fiend from attac king an old elf , huwas set upon by several more of the evil creatures.The baatezu took something from him called Guardianand he must retrieve it at all costs in time for "the cere-mony."

If the players further press Daneel on these or any other pointshe apologizes for his weakness and asks them to wait until theyreach the faction headquarters. Run "The Barracks," below, withDaneel conscious bu t unab le to d o more than mumble a f ewwords now and then.

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T H E B A R R A C K SThis part of town seems much more still than some of the othersyouve seen today. Fact is, after the teeming chaos of the market-place, these s treets look almost peaceful , wi th lone passersbyhere and there, and little noise wafting out of the fe w taverns andinns in the area.

And then, there it is, like a gargantuan slab of stone crush-ing the streets of the Cage: the City Barracks. Outsid e, the rectan-gular building looks dull, heavy, and impenetrable, with a single,guarded entrance opening onto this street. Four warriors stand inf r o n t of the arched doorway, chat t ing, but they snap to theirguard as you a pproach: Whats yer business?A t r u e acco u n t i n g o f t h e f ig h t w i th t h e b aa t ezu - a n d

Once sa t i s f ied tha t the PCs don t have the sword , Sharthanks them for assisting Daneel and calls guards to escort themout the door. He asks the party to stick around Sigil for a day orso, in case hes got a ny more questions for them a bout the inci-dent, and gives them a gem worth 50 gp as a n incentive.d m NOTE: If any cutters volunteer to help recover the sword,S h a r t u r n s t h e m d o w n : T h e H a r m o n i u m h a n d l e s i t s o w naffairs. Even PC members of the faction are rejected, since alarge enough force can be p ut together from the warriors in theBarracks.

optional encountersDaneels shocking condition - hould be enough to convince theguards ( P1 0 var/FZ/Ha/LN) to bring t he PCs inside. Any playercharacters who belong to the faction should also be able to helpget the party inside.The guards take the group into a small , featureless roomcontaining only a few ston e benches, telling them to wait therewhile they fetch a high-up.

After delivering Daneel to the Barracks, the partys got a day orso to kick around Sigil before being sum moned back t o see TonatSha r (see Back to th e Barracks, below). During tha t time, th eDM can run some or all of the following encounters (or others ofhis or her own devising):THE EVOLuTIONARY LEAGUE: An Anarchist spy in the Barracks (dis-guised as a Harmonium guard) heard Shars talk with the party.Four Anarchists (Pl/va r humanoid/F3/RL/CN ) confro nt the PCs inthe street, telling them to stay out of affairs they dont under-stand. They intend to merely bully the par ty but f ight i f pro-voked, willing to give their lives for their cause.ANARCHIST4): THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg ld 4 Type L poison (dag-ger); AC 7 (ring mail); HD 4; hp 13, 22, 27, 29; M V 12; SZ M ( 5feet tall): INT average (10); ML fearless (19); XP 175.A BIT 0 HANT: A passerby (P I/P he/O/At/LE) who observed thePCs carrying Daneel through the streets approaches the group tofind out what they know about the paladin a nd the Harmoniumsplans. For a sm all fee (10 gp), she tells the PCs the rumors shesheard ab out the Harmo nious Ascension (just the basics), sneeringat the idea of an y power caring where one town or another lies.road CREW: 2d4 dabus (seepage 10of the Monstrous Supplementin the planescape Campaign Setting box) are resetting cobbles ina street dam aged by a recent fight (n ot Daneels). Through sym -bols tha t ap pear in the a i r , they ask the PCs fo r in fo rmat ionabout the brawl that caused the destruction, but the party mustdecode the DM-devised rebuses t o und erstand the s i lent ques-tions. The single-minded dabus dont speak with the PCs abo utan y other topics. A friendly translator (P 1 / b/O/Be/N) offers tointerpret the symbols should the party require assistance.RATS N THE CAGE:Thirty-six cranium rats (with a collective Intel-ligence of 7) lurking in a nearby bundle of trash cas t a greasespell under the partys feet. Any PCs that fall areimmediately attacked by the swarm ofrats, who hope to make off

A TALE of woeAfter a few moments, Tonat Shar (P I / h/F9/Ha/LG), an assistantto factol Sarin, enters the room. A human in red leather armor,Shars as tall as a n ormal m an, but a s bulky as a dwarven war-r io r . Af ter conf i rming tha t the pa lad in i s , indeed , Daneel theSmi ter o f F iends, he summ ons guards to take h im to a roomwhere they can tend to his injuries. Then Shar turns his attentionto the rest of the group.Youberksd bet ter te l l me everything you know about

whats happened to the paladin, and I mean every detail. Now .After the PCs tell what they know of the attack, Shar askst h e w h e r eab o u t s o f Guardian . Once he r ea l izes tha t th e PCsarent sure what hes talking about, he explains:Da neels had his holy avenger sword Guardian at his sidefor - well, bout as long as I can remember. Manys the night Ive

spe nt in Fortitude or Arcad ia listening to bards spi n tales andsongs of Daneels brave assaults on the far ces of evil. Together,Daneel and Guardianve been a p owerful force for good in theplanes.

Course, ifiendsve snatched the sword, it could be any -where by now: stashed away somewhere in the Cage, rotting inone of the nine layers of ba ato r, even loating in the Ethereal -that is , i the sodding baatezu havent already found a wa y tosmash it to pieces

If the par ty sa ys the baatezu m entioned Dispaters name,Sha r identif ies th e vi l lain a s a Lord of the Nine, f igur ing thatDaneel s h i s to ry o f ons laugh ts ag ains t the f iends mus t haveengendered this attack. In an y case, he grills the PCs firmly abouttheir purpose in Sigil and their part in the battle, trying to findout if they know m ore abou t the sword than theyve already toldhim. However, he wont answer any questions about the Ascen-sion (or any other bits of the chant they may have pickedup from Daneel).L

with the groups rations.cranium rat (36): THACO 19 ; #AT1; Dmg ld 4; AC 6; HD 1; hp 5 each;MV 15; SD save as creature of Hit Dice equal togroup Intelligence: SZ T (6 inches long): INT var (1point per every five living rats); AL NE; ML unsteady (7);u

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B A C K to t he B A R R A C K SA day or so after the encounter with ton at Shar at the Barracks,the party is contacted by a Harmonium guardsman (PI/ d/Fl/Ha/LG). She tells the party th at Shars got a few more qu estions forthem, a nd escorts them to the barracks. Once there, theyre takeninto a meeting room where Shar sits with a dark-visaged dwarf-smith introduced as Grimbrech Stonehammer ( P I / d/F5/P6/Ha/LG) of Moun t Clanggedin in Arcadia.S H A R S storyIll get right to th e chan t. You brought us Daneel - minus theholy avenger. Well, we sent a storm of bashers into Baator to getit back, ready to tear the blasted p lane a part, fiend by fien d, torecover Guardian.

They returned only a fe w hours ago - he fe w that cameback a t all, that is. They were ju st too sodding obvious, all loudand brash and stomping everywhere they went. The baatezu tookem to pieces w ithout breaking a sweat.

One of the survivors confirmed what wed thought. A p i tfiend bragged about mounting the sword - and Daneels armon the wall in Dispate rs iron Tower. The baatezure no doubtwait ing f o r us to try aga in, but we f igure get ting the swordsgoing to take sneakier bloods - cutters who ran bob and peel aswell as ight

Fact is, were ready to offer you a deal: Bring us the holyavenger, and well see that its worth your trouble.The DM should allow the PCs to interrupt Shar at any timewith ques t ions o r comments . When hes f in ished, he of fe r s apurse of 1 0,000 gp up on turnover of the sword, which m ust beb r o u g h t t o t h e g a t e - t o w n o f F o rt i t u de . S h a r a d d s t h a t t h edwarves of Moun t Clanggedin are prepared to give each partym e m b e r t h e p i c k o f a n y m a g i c a l o b j e c t f r o m t h e i r f a b l e darmories.Whats more, Shar offers to pay the partys expenses for thetrip by giving them a bagful of rubies and emeralds, each worthabout 100 gp. The whole bag totals 4,000 gp, and w hatever theydont use they can keep as part of the reward.d m NOTE: Both of the amounts - he purse and the o peratingexpenses - are negotiable, especially if Shar earlier turned downan offer of help from th e PCs. Shars will ing to g o as high as10,000 gp in expenses; the DM should feel free to set the upperlimit of the purse according to the specifics of the campaign.

questions A N D answersIf the PCs ask, Shar provides them with information on th e fol-lowing subjects:TRAVELINGO baator: The Hardhead raid landed directly inAvernu s, the first layer of Baator, and th e baatezu were ready fo rem. Pure fact is, as a lawful plane, baators open to visitors, aslong as a bodys got a good reason to be there. The Harmoniumbashers didnt - at least, not as far as the fiends were concerned.Shar counsels the PCs to start in the gate-town of Ribcage,where its said a visito r heading for Baator can pick up a pass ofsafe conduct to show the f iends, and m aybe even a guide whoknows the plane pretty well.

GETTING o ribcage: Shar gives them direction s to th e Sill, aninn no t f a r f r om the Gr e a t B a z a a r i n t he M a r ke t Wa r d . Heinstructs them to ask for the fourth room on the second floor.

Hinting that hes worried about spies in the ranks of the Harmo-nium - af te r a l l, the baa tezu shouldn t have known where orwhen to find Daneel - he says no more about th e inn, beyondreminding the party t o get the specified room.RETURNING THE sword: The holy avenger must be brought toFortitude, where its needed for use in a special ceremony. Shasays he can give th e PCs a gate key thatll let them travel theredirectly. As for f inding a gate , Sha r know s of traders whovecome to Fortitude from Dis; merchants in Dis should be ab le todirect the PCs to a gate.THE GEMS: The PCs might have to dea l ou t some garnishalong the way, and the baatezu prefer gems to stand ard jink. Thebagll be waiting for the PCs in Ribcage, at a b athh ous e calledthe G ymnasium of Steam. If they don t go to Ribcage, they donget the gems.daneel: The paladins too weak t o jo in the quest. Hes recu-perating in the realm of his power Marduk, on Arcadia.THEHARMONIOUSSCENSION:f the PCs ask ab out the ceremon y or th e Ascension, Shar hesitatingly gives the basics ofthe plan (as described in the Bac kgro und section on page 2)However, he doesnt mention the layer of Arcadia th at was losdue to Hardhead bungling.He asks the PCs to keeo the na ture of their aue st asquiet as possible. If folks in Fortitude hear thatDaneels been attacked a nd Guardian stolen,they m ight begin to lose faith in the paladin,the holy avenger, and the faction itself, whichcould endanger the plans for the Ascension.Shar also explains ahout theAscension if the PCs ask whythe dwarves of MountClanggedin in Arcadia would care

A

enough about the loss of the holyavenger to offer magical items a s a reward fo r its recovery.

The dwarfsmith Stonehammers come with magical i tems thamight prove useful to the PCs in their journey, offered one at atime (possibly in trad e for i tems the PCs already have) , if theparty seems reluctant to go after the sword.The dwarfsmiths bag contains:A scabbard of holding, an item similar to a bag of holding hut one tha t accepts only swords. When a swordplaced inside, the scabbard shrinks to the size of a dag-ger sheath. Right now, i t wont accept an y sword butGuardian, but if the party is successful, the dwarvewill remove this limiting enchantment.An arrow of direct ion c u r r e n tly s e t on ly to f i nd thesword. As with the scabbard, if the party is successfulthe dw arves will remove th e restriction.An iron rod of beguiling with four charges. The dwarvewill replace it with a fully-charged wan d if th e partybrings back the sword.Two rings of ire resistance enchanted to work only o nthe plane of Baator.d m note: The magic in each of Stonehammers items comesfrom schools tha t arent altered on Baator, so the PCs can use thei tems the re wi thout any c ross-planar reduc t ion in power ( sepages 15-17 of A d m G u i de t o t h e Pl a ne s in the PLANESC

Campaign Setting box for more information).

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accepting the offerIf the PCs agree to retrieve the holy avenger, Shar maps out theircourse: Head for the gate-town of Ribcage; take a ga te to Aver-nus, the f irs t layer of Baator ; f ind a gate into Dis, the secondlayer; retrieve the sword from Dispaters Iron Tower; bring it tothe Harmoniums headquarters in the gate-town of Fortitude.Shar also gives the PCs a small, steel chain with links joinedto form a circle, almost l ike a bracelet. He explains th at i t s aspecial gate key thatll open any gate to Fortitude. However, thePCs can only use it once - ts consumed when brought througha gate.A persistent party can also convince Shar to advance themup to 500 gp w orth of gems a s a show of faith. Course, any suchadvance ment i s deducted f rom the la rger co l lec t ion of gemsthatll be waiting for the PCs in Ribcage.

d m NOTE: If the par ty r efuses the o f f er , Shar r eveals thebasics of the Ascension and Guardians important place in theceremony (if he hasnt done so already). He pleads with the PCsto recover the sword, whichll redeem Daneel and assure Forti-tudes slide into Arcadia.If necessary, Shar also threatens tha t the Harmo nium canmake l ife very dif f icult for the PCs, and even hints at long jai lsentences for berks who m ight have had a hand in helping thefiends assault the paladin.

THE F R E E LEAGUEIt turns out th at a few bodies in the Cage know about the swordsloss af ter al l; not all of the Harmonium m embers are as t ight-lipped as Tonat Shar, and the Anarchists posing as Hardheads areglad to spread the chant. One berk whos found out is Karris, awizard in t he Free League. Hes formed a loose hand with s ixother Indeps to capture the holy avenger themselves; they hope tosel l i t to the highest bidder and don t want anyo ne mucking uptheir scheme.At some point before the PCs leave Sigil, theyre spotted andapproached by karr isYou almos t do nt even notice the slight ma n in the stained,tight-fitt ing tunic until hes right next to you, close enough totrod on your boots. Hes wearing the colors of the Free Leagueand a half-toothless grin. ho there, bloods, he calls out. Soyoure the tough cutters whore gonna track dow n the enchantedpoker. Well, ol Karris jus t might be able to help you out.Karr is plays th e f r iendly rube while feel ing ou t the par ty,trying to determine how much they know an d what their plansare. He casts an E SP spell on the first PC to respond, switchin g toanother PC each round (the dm can roll saving throws and deter-mine wha t, if anythin g, is learned).Kams pretends to have apprenticed to a mage who traveledregularly to Baator for rare spell components, and he claims toknow the dark of giving fiends the laugh. However, his intentionis to confuse the PCs with lies and delay their departure from theCage to give his ow n group time to getahead. If challenged, he sticks to hisstory and leaves in a huff; ifattacked, he tries to escapewith his boots of speed or aLI wraithform spell

karris (PL/ H/W6/FL/CN):THACO 19; #AT 1 ; Dmg ld4 + 2 (dagger +2); C 4 ; HD) 6 ; hp 22;MV 10; SZ M (5 feet tall); INT exceptional (16); ML average (I0);XP 975.Magical items: boots of speed, bracers of defense AC 4), wand oflightning (10 charges).Spells (4/2/2) : alarm, burning hands, ESP, hold portal, knock,monster summoning I sleep, and wraithform.

the S I L LOnce the PCs are ready to head for the Sill, read or paraphrasethe following:

You foll ow Tonat shars directions to the Sill - a two-storybuilding of greenish limestone, only a f e w b loc ksf iom the shoutsand buzz of the Great Bazaar. Twists of razorvine cover the fi on tof the inn like ivy, even obscuring part of the sign over the darkwooden door.The owner of the Sills named Cedlic marr ( P I / tf /O/Fa/LN),and her k ip s aimed main ly a t shopper s and merchan ts in theGreat Bazaar. The dark of it, though, is that the windows in thesecond- f loor rooms are one-way por ta l s to the Outer P lanes .Lodgers who tumble to this fact can take a trip o ut of Sigil; thosewho dont simply catch a nights rest in their room. Tonat Sharknew abo ut the por tals , and he directed the PCs to ask for thefour th room o n t h e s eco n d floor - h e o n e w it h t h e w i n d o wleading to Rihcage.I f the PCs ask Cedlic for the specif ied room , she ch argesthem 50 gp per night , and hands them a key made of hone. Inaddition to being a standard key for the door, its also a ga te keyfor the window portal to Rihcage. A PC who carefully examinesthe key can make an Intelligence check to see if he recognizes itas being made of rib hone. If asked about the key, Cedlic shrugsoff most questions: Thats ust the way it is.The partys room is sparse - wo cots, a table, a few walllanterns, and a window with a view of the Great Bazaar. If theybelieve that Tonat Shar sent them t o the inn to wait for a con-tact, the PCs may sit for a while before realizing that no onescoming. They might also decide to eat, drink, or talk with otherguests in the comm on area on the ground floor.If the PCs si t in the common area or wander th rough theinn, Cedlic notices them after l d 4 turns.

The owner comes over to you with a quizzical look on herlong, thin fa ce. s everything sat is factory wi th your room? Icouldnt help but notice that you h avent used your k e y .

If the players don t seem to und erstand, Cedlic repeats herstatemen t more forcefully. However, shes not going t o spill thedark to the party - f theyre not sm art enough to tum ble to herhint, she figures they probably shouldnt know abo ut the portalsat all. Shell excuse her m istake and leave them alone.With o r without Cedlics hint, th e PCs should ev entually fig-ure out wha t they have t o do and return t o the room. The first PCto go through the window m ust carry the key, or hell fall to theground 20 feet below, receiving 2d6 damage from the fall. Whena PC s teps th rough the open window wi th the key , the f r amecrackles with white light, and the PC disappears.Theres no time to waste: Each member of the party must goq u i ck ly t h r o u g h t h e p o r t a l , w h i ch c l o s es i n t w o r o u n d s ( t h ecrackling light fades away). If any PCs dont make it, theyll ha veto see Cedlic again - act iva t ing the por ta l caused th e key to

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return t o i ts wall hook behind the innkeepers counter . Cedlicgives them th e key again, but she charges anoth er 50 gp for theroom.Once all PCs have gone through the portal, theyll appearjust outside the burg of Rihcage. Move on to Chapter II.DM NOTE: If the PCs wander a round th e inn before tumblingto the portal , throw in a few encounters with oth er guests foratmosphere.A gnome asks them for directions to someplace in Sigilwhile his partner, a 1st-level h alfling thief, tries to pickth e PCs pockets.Visitors to the Great Bazaar, wh o feel they were hobbedby a merchant there, loudly share their gripes with thePCS.A githyanki mage, wise to the portals, asks the partywhere theyre headed, then shuts his bone-box uponrealizing the PCs dont know th e chant.A cloth m erchant tries to interest the party in specialdiscounts on his goods.

SC RAGGEDThe dm should ru n this encou nter only if the PCs lef t Daneellying in the alley after the haatezu attack or passed up the fightin the f irst place. A patrol of si x Harmonium guards f inds thePCs sooner or la ter , most l ikely in a public area; if the partysretired for the night in an inn , theyre awakened by a pou ndingo n the door.The commander of the patrol steps toward your group. Weheard youre the berks who spied a big bust-up near the market-place awhile ago, he says. A bloodyfight between a pa ladinand som efiends. Well , theres some high-ups a t the Barracksthatd like to pick yer brain a bit tofind out w hat its all about.The commanders using his r ing of human influence as acharm person spell to get the party to acco mpany him peacefully(affecting up to 21 Hit Dice levels of the PCs, with a -2 penaltyon t he i r s a v ing th r o ws) . Wha t s m or e, t he gu a r ds m a ke nothreatenin g moves - at least, not until they see how the

PATROL COMMANDER (P L / H/F8/HA/LG):THACO 1 3; #AT 1 ; Dmg ld 8 ( lo ng sw ord); AC 2 (field plate); HD8; hp 59; MV 10; SZ M (6 feet tall); INT high (12) ; ML fana tic(18);XP 1,400.Magical items: ring of human influence.PATROLUARD (5) (P L / H/F4/HA/LN):THACO 17; #AT 1;Dmg 1d 8 (battle axe); AC 4 (bron ze plate ); HD4; hp 28; MV 12; SZ M (6 feet tal l); INT ave rage (9); ML elite(14); XP 120.

straight to b a a t o rAfter observing the b aatezu vanish from the alley, the PCs maytumble to the fact that the fien ds teleported to a portal t o BaatorIf the party seems determined to find this portal, the d m shouldlet them try.Fact is, the baatezu popped over to a little-used street in theHive Ward, a sprawl of the most depressed slums and sods in theCage. Appearing over an open sewer hole , the f iends quicklydropped d own th rough th e hole (the portal). A couple of bubberstumb ling nearby were spooked out of their wits by t he wholething.If the PCs think to nose around th e Hive, asking questionabout the portal or the fiends, sooner or la ter they run in to onof the drunks ( P I / he/O/S*/CG). He offers to show them th e holefer es a hit o jink fer some bub, thoug h he takes a few wrongturns along th e way.Course, the keys an oth er story - t can he anyth ing the DMwants. Also, if the group hasnt a lready been warned by TonaShar abo ut going to Ribcage f i r s t , a Hiver wise to the c hanpoints out th at the sewer portal could he a quick drop into thdead-book.DM NOTE: If the PCs go through the portal to Baator , skiChapter II (Ribcage) and proceed with the p arty la ndi ng on Avernus in Chapter III.

party reacts.If the PCs go along with the guards, theyreescorted to the Barracks, where events transpire asthey do in The Barracks and Back to the Bar-racks (with out Daneels presence, of course).Hopefully, even if the player characters resist the r ingsinf luence , they won t f ight th e guards . If they do, th e o therpatrols searching the streets converge on the scene of the battle,a new group arriving every ld6 rounds until the PCs surrender orIf the PCs surrender or are overpowered, theyre dragged tothe faction headquarters; again, events transpire as in The Bar-racks and Back to the Barracks. Course, in this case TonatShar gives them a simpler choice: Get the sword or rot in prisonfor the rest of their miserable lives. They still get the b ag of gemsfor expenses and a sm aller reward, but no magical items.If the PCs manage t o escape from the battle, the Harmoniumwont rest until i t has found and captured them. The streets ofthe cage l l swarm with Hardheads , and t he p layer charac te rsshould get the idea that their best chance is to surrender. (In thisevent, Sha r still pays their expen ses for the m ission but offers noreward a t all.)

1escape. a l te rna te s t a r t sMY PALADIN PAL: he par ty can encounte r Danee l in the GreaBazaar , str iking up a conversation or even helping the paladilocate a needed item. They leave the marketplace together and astumble into the baatezu trap at the same time. This method provides the PCs with a stronger connection to Daneel, hut lacks thdrama of th e gelugons pickpocket bait.

HEY, OURE ME: Instead of lur ing the party away from the GreaBazaar as a pickpocket, the gelugon can use polymorph sel fappear as one of the PCs - heyd almost certainly chase a double. The gelugon could even try t his if the pickpocket ruse fails.

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The player characters start thischapter in the mountainous Vale ofthe Spine, jus t ou tside theHapterr iiu der he ri s gate-town of Ribcage. After they gain entrance to th etown, theyre free to parley with folks and drop in atdifferent locations, picking up information th at m ighthelp them in their quest. Ideally, theyll secure a co verstory and a guide to help them navigate the treacherous terrain ofBaator, and then convince the high-up Lord Paracs to send them throug h th e gate.The cutters may also discover that their tnps m ore of a race than they thoug ht, andthat in Ribcage, berks who ask too m any questions are likely to get squashed.d m NOTE: If the PCs managed to find t he sew er portal to Baator in Sigil, skip overthis chapter and continue with the party landing directly on Avemus (Chapter I I .ARRIVAL

7-E Having jumped through th e portal-window inthe Sill, the player char-acters emerge inthe Vale of theSpine, themountain range

that encloses the burgYou f i n d y o u r s el fstanding, somewhat uncertainly, on slanted, rocky ground. The rock slopes upwardbefore you to fo rm a hill - no, a mountain. n ac t, all around you are giant, pointed

peaks of stone that shoot upwards into th e sky, towering above you like monstrousfangs. There dont seem to be an y flat paths to ollow.The dm should le t the PCs wander through the base of the mountains for ld3turns before reading the following:

Abou t a hundred yards to your left, you spy a collection of mountains th at lookodd: facing ridges of long, slender pe aks that curve u p and inwa rd, like bony fingersor ribs. The ai nt buzz of civilization seems to come fr om beneath the peaks.Ribcage is tucked with in the c urving peaks. the residents have blocked off gapsin the mountains with a 20-foot-tall iron wall, but the PCsll find a towered gatenear their end of the valley (the Spire Gate).

Berks who got themselves lost dang le rom the crossposts over th e iron gate,hand-lettered signs around th eir necks announcing their crimes. The tow n doesntseem to look too kindly on knights of the cross-trade. A guard in the wall tower overthe gate yells d own to you: Welcome to Ribcage! Its 10 gold to enter! Just then,two more armored guards appear a t the gate. These menll take yer jin k, says theguard in t he tower.The easiest path for the PCs is to simply pay the guards 10 gp per party mem-ber; each PC is then given a carved piece of ston e called a chun k, a pass good fo rone weeks stay in Rihcage, and allowed through the gate.

FIGHTING:f the PCs fight the guards, the tower sentry shoots arrow s at theparty. A troop of five more foot guards and a captain appear every third round,trying to either kill the PCs or force them into the mountains. If theparty successfully fights their way into Ribcage, the d m can still takethem through many of the encounters in this chapter. Course, theyreconstantly hunted by g uards (leading to more fights), and Lord Paracs- I G N a r o u n d the N E C K demands they make suitable amends before he allows them t o pass

USING NOTHER GATE: The PCs may try to snoop around the m ountains foranother entrance to town; if they follow the iron wall, theyll eventually find therigus Gate and the Steam Gate [see the map of Rihcage on the o utside of the gate-fold screen). Howev er, the DM should require each PC to make one Dexterity checkat some point during the tr ip to s ee if an y tumble (25% chance of suf fe r ing ld 4damage from sharp rocks).

of Rihcage.

O ethat his buttons

ean tbrusstuckle

lo k ed tar n i s hedinto Baator (the d m can choose the method of atonement).o f A D E A D E Ran i ove

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SNEAKINGN: The party mighttry to climb over the wall at a n unguardedpoint. Even if they get in, they're in the burg withoutchunks. The first time a body's caught without a currentchunk, it brings a fine of 100 gp. The second time, the poorsod's usually enslaved by the guards. The chunk changesevery week, but perman ent residents of the burg havespecially carved chunks that never change (a generous DMcould allow the PCs to somehow steal permanent chunks, or buy some from a thief fora heavy price).hers of the A thar, the Fraternity of Order, the Harmonium, or the Mercykillers.GATEGUARD 3 OR VAR) PL/ H/F2/VAR/LE):THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg ld 6 (short sword or short bow ); AC 6 scale mail); HD 2 ; hp 12 ; M V 12; SZ M (6 eettall); INT average (9) ; ML steady (11) ; XP 35.

DM NOTE: The guards in Rihcage belong to a variety of factions; however, most are mem-

GUARD APTAlN (1 PER TROOP OF REINFORCEMENTS) ( P L / H/F4/VAR/LE):THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg Id8 (scim itar); AC 4 (banded mail); HD 4; hp 27; M V 12; SZ M 6 feet tall) ; INT very(12); ML elite ( 14 ); XP 120.

THE f lavor o f RIBCAGEThe blood-red stone roads of Ribcage are clean and straight, usually m eeting at right angles to fo rm orderlyblocks of dwellings, alehouses, and markets. Most of the buildings look cold and hostile, made of gray or blackstone, but some exteriors are more fancifu lly decorated wit h drapes, garlands, fam ily crests and other ornamentsto trumpet the status (or jin k) of the owners. However, there's little greenery or vegetation of any kind. Instead,the burg's crammed with towers and keeps, and packs of soldiers in black and gold meander in the streets -maybe to end trouble, maybe to start i t. But everywhere you go, those huge, curved peak s looming over thewhole town make you feel like a beetle crawling in a colossal skeleton.Tieflings make up most of the town's population, and everywhere the PCs go, the natives watch 'em withpeery eyes. The folks in Ribcage are always suspicious, constantly o n their guard, and never too open w ith thecha nt or a friendly hand. 'Course, part of that's because th e town's ruled over by Lord QuentillParacs, and his personal militia - he Blackguard - usually takes a strong interest inany herk w ho rattles his hone-box too easily or too often. Paracs does allow fivepowerful families to have some influence in different sections of the town, with eachfamily keeping tabs on its ward with its own hand of bashers. Each family controlsits own piece of the pie, too: The Ivlium are the porters of the town, th e Fiquesh are thetrade, and the Flamen make up the clergy.DM NOTE: For more information on Rihcage, refer to pages 46-50 in Sigil and

ANYF R I E N Dof he fiendsI S no F R I E

of mine.- ord quentillcivil servants, the Dilfar are the builders and quanymen, the Shan control most of thePARACSBeyond in the planescape Campaign Setting box.

Refer to the map of Rihcage on the outside of the gatefold scre en; it can he shown to the players. Below aredescriptions of the num bered locations in the burg th at the PCs'll most likely visit, though the DM c an add sitesof his or her own.1. THE itadel The home and headquarters of Lord Paracs (also known as the Baron), this walled complex risesout of the middle of town, its shiny obsidian putting the heel to the ramshackle kips and cases that account formost of the burg. A large statue of the B aron himself - a fat old tiefling - stands in the central courtyard. Elitemembers of the Blackguard constant ly ma n the s teel portcull is leading into the yard, and patrols sweep thegrounds to round up an y stray berks who creep in to spy or take a stab a t Paracs. As the Baron's the only high-up in town who can hand out passes into Baator, the PCs'll have to deal with him sooner or later - especiallysince the gate to the infernal plane's walled up inside the Citadel.2. COUNCIL UARTERS: ach of the five wards of the city has one seat on the Council, but the fact that Paracsstuck the grou p in this glorified outh ouse jus t beyond the C itadel's walls tells a body wh at the B aron thinks of

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merchant scouts (see The Merchant of Rihcage, page 19) doest h e j o b . H o w ev e r , t h e p a r t y w o n t b e t ak e n t o t h e C i t ade l i ftheyre pretending to be supplicants of Baator unless FlamenThermas with the m - shes brought groups to the Baron before;see Da rk Secrets,page 19).

Any hostile act brings an attack from the Blackguardsmen,w h o t r y t o s u b d u e t h e p a r t y an d d r ag t h em b e f o re Pa r ac s i nchains. The PCs might choose to go alo ng with this in order tosee Paracs. Brusstuckle first tries to cast a sleep or web spell onthe party, followed by magic missile attacks. If two of his menare killed, Brusstuckle blows a whistle that summons a new unito f l d 4 + 2 Blackguard to the scene every ld 3 rounds.POG brusstuc kle ( P L / H/F6/W4/AT/LE):THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg I d8 (one-handed bastard sword); AC 6(cloak ofprotection +4);HD 6; hp 32 ; M V 12; SZ M 6 eet tall);INT high (13); ML elite (13); XP 975.Spells (3/2 ) : Hypnotic pat tern, magic missi le, shocking graspsleep, an d web. lives.)BLACKGUARDSMAN6) (PL/VAR U M A N O I D / F~ / V A R / L E ) :THACO 1 9; #AT 1 ; Dmg ld 6 (sh ort sword ); AC 4 (chain mail andshield) ; HD 2; hp 16 each; Mv 12; SZ M 6 eet ta ll); INT very( 1 1) ;ML steady (11); XP 35.

of the following hits of information (the DM can a lso include a nyother chant that the PCs need to pick up):The gate to Baators in the Citadel, guarded at all timesby vicious haatezu - Paracs only pretends to hate thefiends. (Not true, though the ga te is in the Citadel.)A h a a t e z u i n v a s i o n f o r c e is p o is e d t o s t o r m i n t oRihcage and d rag the burg kicking and screaming ontotheir plane. (Not true.)A merchant f rom Faunel needs some bashers whol ltake something to Dis for him. (True; the teller saw apublic poster, hut doesnt remember all the details.)Theres a hard nam ed S harksplen dor who soak s in aprivate bath every afternoon. He helps travelers get toBaator . (True; th e tel ler s referr ing to Bar ius Sha rp-splinter.)Some harmies think pa ying respect to the fiendsll getem wishes an d other rewards. (True, thou gh t he bestthe fiends usually do is let such supplicants retain theirThe high-up at the Shrine of Dark Secrets often sendspacks of supplicants onto Baator so they can worshipthe fiends close up. Some of em even com e out again.(True; the tellers refe mn g t o Flamen Pontifus.)

4

++4

4

4

DM NOTE: tonat Shar arranged to have the partys expensesfor their quest - he hag of gems - waiting at the Gymnasium.Shandra la in i t i a l ly den ies knowing any th ing ab ou t the gems ,hoping to turn a small profit o ut of the deal instead. However, ifpressed, she agrees to hand the gems over, but only if convincedthe PCs are who they say they are.

getting helpRihcage has a few folks that can help the PCs get through thegate to B aator and survive the trip through that evil plane.

4 In Taking a Bath, below, the PCs can obtain a passthrough th e gate and the services of Herfik the Silentas a guide.In The Merchant of R ihcage on page 19, the PCscan take a job as merchant scouts and thus begranted a valid reason for traveling through Baa-to r - n oth er words, they get a cover story to fool BU- I - not till im donethe fiends.In Da rk Secrets on page 19,the PCs can obtaina different cover story, a pass through the gate,and the services of Flamen Therma as a guide.Although this solution seems the most complete, itsalso the most dangerous - he PCs must maintain the

S U R E . I CAN G f - t you a PASSonto baator

I CAN EVEN get you a G U I D E .with my bat- BARIUSsH A R P S P N t R,

at the gymnasiumguise of supplicants of Baator, who worship fiends. o f steam

T A K I N G A bathMore than likely, the PCsll visit the Gymnasium of Steam to picku p o n the burgs la tes t c han t . The la rge comm on spr ings arealways full of folks lolling abo ut and talking, and m any of thesmaller pools are of ten occupied by higher-ups (or any bloodwilling to pay a hit more for some privacy). A body can also dryhimself out in o ne of the lounges, or parley with his cutters in ameeting room.But a customerd better br ing his j ink. The Gyms owner ,Shandrala (pl/ P tf /P(sp)7/FO/LE), doesnt let an y berk ju st walkaround for free. Private meeting rooms cost 50 gp per group, asoak in a c omm on spr ing costs 100 gp per person, and magicalsprings that cure skin diseases run 1,000 gp or more. If the partychats with folks in the com mon springs, theyre likely to hear a ny

meetingS H A R P Splint r AiIf the PCs drop some garnish on s h a n -dra la o r o therwise persuade her tha t they need to m eet w i thSharpsplinter , she ll tell them when the t ief l ing bathe s an d inw h i ch s p r i n g t h ey can f i n d h i m . I f t h e p a r t y r e t u r n s a t t h eappointed time, read the following:

Sha ndral a directs you down a curved hallway: try he lastspr ing room on the r ight . A s you walk down the hall , the airseems to get hotter and wetter, the walls more stained by steam.Once the PCs open the indicated door, continue:Inside is a small, roundish spring of bubbling water, ringedwith multicolored stone tiles. The p o o l s ju st big enough for thetiefling relaxing in its waters. H e watches you c almly but care-

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fu l ly , as i hes expectedou all day. Close the door already -youre letting o ut all my steam. bashers who simply demand that Sharpsplinter (P I / t f /B8/S2/NE)help them get into Baator get nowhere. The tiefling wantsto know the dark of their purpose, and, though he accepts mostany story, the truth works best - he knows that Lord Paracs likesanything that works against the haatezu. Fact is, Paracs allowsSharpsplinter to run his little operation in retu rn for a split of thetake.

Course, this m eans tha t th e pr ice is high: 1,000 gp for apass, and another 500 for a one-way guide to lead them to a par-ticular spot (Sharpsplinter raises it to 1,000 if the party tells himtheyre after the holy avenger, figuring he m ight have to replacehis guide soon).I f the PCs pay , Sha rpsp l in ter t e l l s them to r e tu rn to thespr ing room at the sam e t ime the next day. At that t ime, hel lintroduce them to their new guide - Herfik the Silent - and takethem to the C itadel, where theyll get a pass and go through thegate.DM NOTE: If the PCs are pretending to he supplica nts of Baa-tor (see Dark Secrets), Sharpsplinter, who hates fiends, wonthelp them. He will help, though, if theyre acting as scouts forDermont (see The Merc hant of R ibcage, below).

the merchant o fribcage

If the PCs havent already h eard a bout it, they spy a public posterwhile walking through the town: A spice merchant from Faunelslooking for cutters whol l help him expand his business ontoBaator for a sh are of the jink. The handbill say s to inquire at thegreen-and-blue canopied tent in the Gate Market near the rigu sGate. Many tents there look similar, and the party m ight stop atthe wrong stall a time or two (and have to endure the pitches ofthe other merchants) before finding the blood who placed the ad.The air under the ca nop ys filledith the strong scents ofdried fru it , min ts, and smoldering leaves. The balding, plum psalesma n cheerfully concludes a sale with another

He gives them a let ter of introduction and asks that theybring him a signed letter of authorization from the bloods whorun the markets in Dis. Dermont assures them theyll he as safeas Sigil on the excursion, as the baatezu dont often interferewith traders . (He doesnt t e l l t h e p a r t y t h a t t h e t w o p r ev io u sscouts he sent never came hack.)DM NOTES: The PCs can persuade D ermont to give them a15 share, hut only if they agree to stay on with him an d helprun the spice s tal l in Dis. In an y case, lawful members of th epar ty may wish to hammer out the detai ls of how the PCs canfulfill their agreement to return with a letter of authorization -af ter al l , the cutters are supposed to head straight to For t i tudeafter recovering the holy avenger.If the party reveals their plan to steal the sword from d ispa -ters Iron Tower, Dermont wants to hack out of the deal, worriedtha t theyll he toasted for sure. The PCs mu st do so me quick talk-ing to convince him otherwise.

DARK secretsThe par ty migh t ge t the idea to head fo r the Shr ine o f DarkSecrets in any num ber of ways: a random encounter with priestsof the temple, a t ip passed in the Gym nasium of Steam, or thebright idea to seek help from those in good with the haatezu.In any case, the PCs f ind the temple open to an y basherseager to worship the powers of Baator or the Lords of the NineTen-foot-tall statues of pit fiends, with wings unfurled and armoutstretched, stand guard on either side of the entrance; the statues are frightening, but n othing m ore.As you enter, the sudden darkness envelops and blinds youuntil your eyes adjust to the dim candlelight. The room is spa-cious and high-ceilinged, with rows of benches facing a plain b ucolossal altar, and small doorways running the length of theroom on both sides. A f ew of the devout sit scattered through thbenches, and tw o men in wh ite robes rub the tall sides of thealtar with cloth. The doors along each wall open intosmall rooms where adherents of Baator can privately flagellate themselves in the na me of the powerthey worship. While the PCs are inthe temple, various berks go in and ouof the rooms, and cries of pain and joy issu

customer before turning to your group. de r-m on t of Faunel at your service, frien ds. Care tosam ple some freshly ground onion?from within.

decisions decisions -If the PCs indicate that theyve comein response to his ad, Dermont (P1/ h/O/Fa/N) ells his assistant, a young half-elf, to handlethe crowds while he pulls the party toward the hack ofthe tent.

in j i nk by the handful. I m the only trader in this market w ith iN HE name of furcasspices fr om the jungles and plain s of the Beastlands, and thedeprived fol k around here cant get enough. Even the fe wf ie nd swho come through tow n leave with a jar or two of Derm onts.Fact is, Im ready to set up another tent, and Id like to do it onBaator. Dermont explains that Avernus, the first layer, is too barrenown booming marketp lace , fr equen ted by p lanar s and f iendshim to establish a presence there, hell cut them in for 5 of theprofits from the first year of business.

You an see for yourself, frien ds, my little enterprise pulls SH CBU L D I flog myselfor in the namezimimar?- w o r s h i p e r

at theto support trade, but th e city of Dis on the second layer has itsalike. If the PCs take samples of his wares to Dis and ne gotiate for

S H R I N E o f DARK secre

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getting HELP: One of the cler-gymen w iping the altar is Fla-men Pontifus ( P I / tf /PlO/Du/LE), leader of the temple. Hesreceived instructions from the pita te with anyone w ho asks about theholy avenger. Pontifus hopes to wrangle a promotion ou t of thedeal and helps the PCs if they reveal their quest, but obedientlysends a message to kriik about the party.Pontifus dresses the PCs in the red robes of supplicants ofBaa tor , who be l ieve the baa tezu ll grant the i r wishes i f theyabase themselves and promise eternal fealty. The partys warnedtha t theyl l have to do wha tever the baa tezu say to mainta intheir cover - no resistance and certainly no attacks.Pontifus asks the PCs to return at dark, when hell have ag u i d e r e a d y o e sc o r t t he m th r oug h the p l a ne . I f t he pa r ty

returns, theyre introduced to Fla-Therma, wholl take them onne-way trip to any particulart. Pure fact is, Therma thinksthe partys an authentic bunchsupplicants, and shed turn th eberks over to th e f iends in aminute if she knew they w ereimpostors. Around her, the party must

DECEMNG ontifus Any worshipersor other clergy that the PCs talk tolleventually refer them to Pontifus, so the

party has to deal with him if they want anyhelp from th e temple. If the PCs hide theirtrue quest from Pontifus, their only otheroption is to convince him of their desire topay respects to the powers of Baator -

dress them as supplicants and providen Therma as a guide.DM OTE: Flamen Therma asks thePCs how much th ey know about Baator.party probably knows little, she tutorsa few basic points that she feels everypplicant of Baator should kn ow. First

e provides them with the nam es of theEight, the powerful pit fiends who coordi-lood War: Furcas, Baalzephon, Zimimar,,Zaebos, Corin, dagos, and P earza. Then,them the names of the nine layers ofus, Dis, Minauros, Phlegethos , Stygia,omini, cania and Nessus.y wish to h ave Flamen Therma drill

s of the Dark Eight and th e nine

~

-pmaintain its cover carefully.)

the citadelthe PCs have finished theircage, the ne xt stepto the first layer ofthis, theyve got to

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him a go od reason for going through th e gate, and get a pass ofsafe conduct through the plane.Course, the first problem is ju st gettin g past th e Blackguardat th e Citadels entrance. Depending on their actions while intown, th e PCs can get inside in a num ber of ways:

+

the

Barius Sharpsplinter and Herf ik t he Silent ca n escortthem (the PCs may also he sponsored by Dermont).Flamen Therma ca n escort them (th e PCs are dressed assupplicants in this case).The Blackguard can a r res t the pa r ty and drag thembefore Lord Paracs.The PCs can try to s neak past the guards a nd find theirway through the mazelike Citadel to the gate (DM s dis-cretion). However, even if they make it to the gate, theBlackguard on duty there try to capture them and bringthem before Lord Paracs.The PCs can simply ask the guards for an audience. Iftheir reasons for travel seem likely to upset the baatezu(and the cutters pa y some g arnish ), theyll get in. How-ever, one pcs held at the en trance during the meetingto ensu re that the others dont try any fun ny businesswhile inside.baron

However the PCs enter th e C itadel, theyre immediately broug ht tosee Lord Paracs ( P I / tf/F13/W15/At/LE). The DM should em pha-size the difficulty of a body finding his way through the halls onhis own - he place is like a maze, mainly as a defense in case anybaatezu pop in through the gate.soldiers of the Blackguardjlank your group on both sides asthey march you through the obsidian hallways of the Citadel. Fora long while, th e pla in corridors twist and cross in a mazelikefashion that seems designed to get berks lost. Then, the w allsbegin to sport c lusters of embedded gems that fo rm gli tteringmosaics of the Baron, and sequential wall hangings depict thevarious stages of his ascendancy to the throne.Finally , youre brought into an open off ice area where around, hunched t ie jl ing in chit inous armor addresses a dozenmore guards - something about sett ing fires. As you enter, theguards ju m p to their e et, hands reaching fo r their swords. one ofyou r escorts speaks: Sods to see your lordship, sir.

Obviously, if the PCs snu ck into t he Citadel or were draggedin as pr isoners, Paracs is piked off . It takes som e mighty fasttalking on the PCs part to be allowed through the gate, and theprice for the pass is doubled: 2,000 gp. On the other hand, if theparty agrees to perform some service for him first, Paracs maycharge a more standard fee of 1,000 gp (the dms free to specifythe task - stir up trouble in a r ival familys ward, spy in theGymn asium of Steam, etc.).Assuming that the PCs entered the Citadel by more legiti-mate means, theyre now in one of the following situations:MERCHANTS:f the PCs explain their business arrangementwi th D e r m on t a nd show the i r l e t t e r o f i n t r oduc t ion , P a r a c schuckles.The Rule of Three, eh? W ell , perhaps you r spice peddlerwill ind luck this time.

Hes referring to Dermonts previous two scouting partiesthat never returned from Baator, hut he wont tell the party that.For a n ew business fee of 400 gp, hell give the party a passan d have a g uard escort them to th e gate. If the PCs go back to

Dermont, he agrees to pay half the fee.If Barius Sharpsplinter is with the grou p, th e PCs can protethe fee, argu ing th at theyve already paid S harpsplinter . Ifconfronted, Paracs waives the fee and simply takes his c ut froSharpsplinter.SUPPLICANTS:aracs gives th e party a hard t i me if theymasquerading as supplicants, disparaging the powers of Baatin an attempt to ang er and provoke the group. However, he stgives them a pass, eager to rid his city of the fiend-lovers - ewho enter the plane ever come hack out. As Flamen Thermasrespected member of the Shrine of Dark Secrets, the pass is fr(she doubts its worth, any way).

O T H E R:If the PCs tell the truth about their quest for the hoavenger, P a r a c s is g l a d to he lp , j u s t t o pu t t he s c r e ws to tbaatezu. Hell charge a reduced pass fee of 500 gp, th en maplans to ambush the PCs when (or if) they return and sn atch tsword for himself.If the PCs give Paracs some other cover story a s to wh y thwant to enter Baator, hes less impressed (DMs decision), ancharges them a full 1,000 gp for a pass.In e i the r case , though, i f th e groups escor ted by Bar iSharpsplinter, Paracs is willing to drop t he fee (as above).through + H E gateOnce the PCs hav e received a pass from Lord Paracs, he orderscrew of Blackguard to escort the party t o th e gate.It drops yo u on t h e irst layer, says the tiefling. Youlove the place. Light up before yo u go throug h. The guards take the PCs hack through the maze of hallwayeventually reaching the room with the gate.Aft er a f e w mom ents, you step into a spacious room thaempty except f o r a large, walled-up area in the corner, guardby fo u r more black-and-gold soldiers.

Up and over, says one of your escorts, shoving you towathe walled-up corner. The stone wa lls seem t o be about 12 f eh igh , w i th a smal l space be tween the top of the wall and trooms ceiling. A strange red glow issues out rom the top of tenclosed space.

The guards stand by an d watch a s the PCs climb over ttop of the wall - using ropes, s tandin g on each others backetc. The guard s wont help, but they wont leave the room unthe w hole partys gone through to Baator . Once the PCs climover the wall, theyre right ne xt to th e gate.A tall pillar of crimson light spins in place in th e middleth i s a re a , b i t s of s i l v e r c asc ad ing th ro ugh ou t t he r ed . Twhirling glow i s almost hypnotic.

As Paracs hinted, the key to th e gate is a lit flame, no matwhat the size or source. If a body steps int o the pil lar wit hoone, hes tossed hack out with whirlwind force, suffering ldpoints of damage from hitting the stone walls. Once a body caries a flame in, the gate s tays open for two rounds, an d the Pcan pass into Avernus.DM NOTE: f F lamen Therm a o r Her fik t he S i lent s bea s signe d to gu ide the pa r ty , he o r she goe s w i th t he m to athrough the gate.BLACKGUARDSMANVAR) (PL/VAR HUMANOID/F2/VAR/LE):THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg ld6 (short sword); AC 4 (chain mail ashield); HD 2; hp 15 each ; MV 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); INT ve( l l ) ; M L s t e a d y ( l l ) ; X P35.

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The party starts this chapter hav ing ustlanded on Avernus, the first of baators nin elayers. They appear in the ruinedgate-town of Darkspine, and from there the goal is simple:Get to the ga te tha t leads to th e second layer, Dis. Course, onthis dangerous wasteland, thats easier said than done. Duringtheir journ ey, the PCs stumble across sights both s trange a ndhideous, and theres no lack of fiends, planars, and petitionersthatd love to kill the sods or trap em in a dark bargain they just cant wriggle ou tof. Cutters ca n try to parley their way thro ugh, b ut theyd better be read y to hack uptheir words with brains - or with steel.DM NOTES: If the PCs took t he sewer portal from the Hive straigh t to Baator, theDM can plant a different gate somewhere in Darkspine from which they emerge.The new ga t e st i l l f a ll s under the wa tch of the cornugon Monte lado [ see TheGuard, below). The DM c an also drop th e party at an y othe r spot inAvernus, keeping in mind t hat theyll have no pass or guide.

- - y1-For information on how magicis affected on Baator, the special powersof the baatezu, andthe ways by

c which thefiends sufferdamage, referto the A ppendix(page 64).

role-playing he G U I D E SIf the partys led by either Herfik the Silent o r Flamen Therma, the guide may havespecific reactions to different encounters, and these ar e noted in th e enco unter textmarked THEGUIDE. Either guide also possesses the DMs map o f Avernus on t h egatefold screen, which can then be shown to the players. Full statistics and infor-mation for both Herfik and Therma appear in the Introduction to th is adventure(page 5). DM NOTES: f the party hasnt retained the services of a guide, theDM can allow a helpful [or hard-bargaining ) body to p rovide the PCswith the map o f Avernus [see the Ruins of Darkspine, page 25,T H E N you H E A D for on e possibility). otherwise, the players shou ldnt he allowed to

W E L L .you gopast this B L E A K N E S S , here.

see the map. Also, no two travelers to Avernus will have the ex actsame experience, as the wasteland changesdepending on wh at path a body takes. Thethrough H E B L E A K N E S S .take a left at he gloomthat way, and keep on going map of Avernus provided w it hfires ofdisapplies to the path taken by the guides in thisadventure and may not reflect landmarks a s

until you R E A C H the B L E A K N E S S .you cant m I S S it

depicted on other maps of the layer.- s o d I N D A R K S P I N B ,through a v e r n u sG I V I N G d i r e c t i o n s R0 LE PLAY N Gother NPCs

The haatezu are , if no thing else , lawful: They follow rules an d wont break th eirword once its been given. However, theyll try to twist their words around so theycan get wha t they wan t while st i l l adhering to th e le tter of their agreement. Andtheyre certainly able to lie whenever they think itll gain them an advantage. Whilerole-playing the variou s fiends encountered on Baator, the DM should try to keepthe PCs on their toes with verbal trickery.If the p arty obtained a pass of safe cond uct from Lord Paracs, its techn icallyworthless - only the Lords of the Nine can h and out true passes. Ironically, thoug h,

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the fake pass does the bearer somegood : Lesser baatez u respect it in case itsgenuine, an d greater baatezure often amused e noughby i t to let the bearer go. However, travelers caug ht with-out a pass - ven a fake pass - must cough up some heavygarnish or pay the music.Baator need a reason to be there. Ribcage offered the party twopossible legitimate missions: establishing a trade franchise for th e spice merchantDermont, or traveling the plane as supplicants to worship the baatezu. In either case,depending on how th e PCs present themselves, the fiends and o ther NPCs encountered m ightreact differently; the MERCHANTSnd SUPPLICANTSections of encounters p rovide the possible influ-ence of eac h cover story.what kind of reactions the story would get.

A plausible cover story is ju st a s impo rtant; visitors to -

Course, the party might come up w ith its own cover for being on Baator, an d the DM can determine iTHE G U A R D

As you emergefrom the gate, you fin d yourselfstanding in the ruins of a town tha t looks like it was decimatedin afireball battle between t w o wizards, The blackened buildings th at still stan d ar e pun ched w ith jagged holes,and broken rubble ills the streets. Still, it looks somewhat fam ili ar as i f t were a dark shadow of Ribcage.You - ravelers From one of the small structu res nearby steps a tall, winged fiend covered with scalesand brandishing a nasty-looking barbed whip. The creature struts toward your party confidently, swishing andcracking its whip. Whats your business here? The guard, a com ugo n named Montelado, once served as a retainer to a pit fiend general in th e Blood War,but was demoted to gate duty for two centuries after losing several battles to th e tanarri hordes. He despiseshis new position and often lets visitors through, taking 500 gp in gems or one magical item as garnishto look the other way. If the PCs ha