# 2026-06-24 — Avernus & the Phylacteries > [!quote] Session Hook > The party has learned their loved ones' souls are locked inside phylacteries scattered across the Nine Hells. Two paths to freedom exist: convince Asmodeus to open them willingly — or destroy him. First, they must find them. Meanwhile, a battle in Avernus reaches its bloody conclusion near the outskirts of a devil fortress. --- ## Overview The session opened with each party member declaring the lost soul they are fighting to reclaim. A newly arrived paladin of Bahamut, [[The Party|Damon Charles]], defected from Baphomet's forces and formally joined the party. The combat against chain devils and a horned devil was concluded, aftermath looting revealed a soul coin hidden in magical darkness, and the party's careless curiosity triggered an infernal machine explosion — alerting a devil's floating fortress to their position. --- ## Key Events ### 1. Lost Souls Declared Each party member identified their personal quest anchor — a mother and brother ([[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]]'s), one's own soul, a sacrificed client, a mentor, and a vendetta against an oath-breaking traitor. A newly arrived knight confirmed he is searching for the dragon-goddess Tiamat (locally called Takasis) in the Nine Hells. The party was presented with a list of phylactery locations tied to the sins of the Nine Hells and told to choose the one that "speaks to them." See [[Lost Souls — Choose Your Soul]] for details on each soul and what it grants. One member reasoned that his lieutenant — who had sold his soul to a cambion to defend a sacred portal — had acted out of *pride*, pointing toward the phylactery of Pride. ### 2. Battle Concluded — Chain Devils Slain Combat resumed mid-fight near the devil fortress outskirts. Three overlapping spirit guardian fields ([[The Party|Tahara Rahma]], [[The Party|Celeste Valentin]], and [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]]) ground down both fiends continuously. One chain devil's chains tangled mid-swing, rendering it helpless — [[The Party|Unit-NULL]] pulled it to the ground and executed it with a shortsword. The horned devil, choking [[The Party|Casanova Frankenstein]], took hammer blows and magic missiles but shrugged off a blast of Sacred Flame. Visibly haggard from the radiant storm, it broke its grapple and fled a short distance. ### 3. Ara-Ara Avannatto's Brother Avenged [[The Party|Tahara Rahma]] cast Faerie Fire on the remaining chain devil, illuminating it for allies. [[The Party|Celeste Valentin]] grappled it, holding the dying creature upright. The devil retaliated — striking [[The Party|Celeste Valentin]] and [[The Party|Tahara Rahma]], who held her concentration despite her wounds. **[[The Party|Lilly Pallywally]]**, mounted, drove the javelin **Longinus** into the chain devil's chest. Radiance consumed it and the creature burst apart, leaving [[The Party|Celeste Valentin]] holding its crumbling horns. The chain devil was the killer of [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]]'s brother. [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]] withdrew from battle to mourn beside her brother's body, vowing to recover his lost soul. ### 4. Damon Charles Arrives & Finishes the Fight During the melee, a solemn knight arrived breathless with undisclosed news from Baphomet's camp but waited for the fighting to subside. He was followed by **[[The Party|Damon Charles]]**, a paladin of Bahamut, who announced his defection from Baphomet's forces and invoked his sacred weapon to engage the horned devil. A flying party member cast Frostbite — the devil shrugged it off — before [[The Party|Damon Charles]] moved in and slew it with a decisive sword strike to the head, ending combat. ### 5. Aftermath at the Campsite The party took a moment to recover at the old campsite. Notable discoveries: - **[[The Party|Dr. Herbert Who]]** harvested *devil's bile* from the horned devil corpse. - At **[[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]]**'s request, **[[The Party|Lilly Pallywally]]** placed the body of her brother **Oruo** into the bag of holding. - **Timmy** investigated a font of magical darkness surrounded by floating eyeballs. He reached in, felt a *scaly presence* brush his hand, and retrieved a **soul coin**. Upon contact, **[[The Party|Celeste Valentin]]** felt the abject terror of the soul trapped within. - **[[The Party|Unit-NULL]]** and [[The Party|Damon Charles]] investigated a pile of gold and triggered an **acid trap**. [[The Party|Damon Charles]] healed [[The Party|Unit-NULL]]; they recovered **100 gp**. ### 6. The Infernal Machine Heading north toward the Stygian Dock, the party found a large chugging infernal contraption ringed by fire, with two charred corpses and a dead imp nearby. The machine was actively running and appeared to be producing an unknown substance. After a brief discussion, **[[The Party|Celeste Valentin]]** pulled a prominent lever on its front. The lever snapped off, the machine accelerated, sprayed a foul-smelling ichor, and **exploded in a massive fireball**, injuring those standing too close. [[The Party|Lilly Pallywally]] and [[The Party|Damon Charles]] shielded themselves from the worst of it. ### 7. The Fortress Approaches The explosion drew the attention of a **devil's floating fortress** on the northern horizon, which changed course and is now heading directly toward the party. --- ## Notable NPCs | NPC | Type | Notes | |-----|------|-------| | [[The Party|Damon Charles]] | Ally (new) | Paladin of Bahamut; defected from Baphomet's forces; delivered killing blow on final horned devil | | [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]] | Ally | Satyr cleric; brother Oruo was slain; body now in bag of holding | | Oruo | Deceased | Ara-Ara Avannatto's brother; body being carried by party | | Unnamed Paladin of Bahamut | NPC | Arrived with undisclosed news from Baphomet's camp; never delivered | | [[Asmodeus]] | Referenced | Lord of the Nine Hells; must be persuaded or defeated to free phylactery souls | | [[Baphomet]] | Referenced | Former commander of Damon Charles; looms as ongoing threat | --- ## Locations - **Devil Fortress Outskirts** — Battlefield where the chain devils and horned devil were fought and slain - **Avernus Battlefield Campsite** — Recovery site; soul coin found in magical darkness; acid trap sprung; devil's bile harvested - **Unnamed Clearing** — Site of the infernal machine; now a scorched crater - **Devil's Floating Fortress** — A flying citadel on the northern horizon, now approaching after the explosion - **[[War Slough — Infernal Map Player Handout|The War-Slough]]** — The party is heading north toward its border --- ## Decisions & Consequences | Decision | Consequence | |----------|-------------| | Each PC declared their lost soul | Personal stakes locked in; guides which phylactery to pursue | | Unit-NULL executed the disabled chain devil | Removed a major threat; allowed party to focus fire | | Overlapping spirit guardians maintained | Wore down horned devil over time; forced its retreat | | Lilly Pallywally drove Longinus into chain devil | Avenged Ara-Ara Avannatto's brother; chain devil destroyed | | Party accepted Damon Charles | New healer/ally; ties party to his Baphomet defection and its consequences | | Timmy reached into magical darkness | Retrieved soul coin; exposed himself to an unknown scaly presence | | Celeste Valentin pulled the lever | Machine exploded; party took fire damage; floating fortress alerted to position | | Dr. Herbert Who harvested devil's bile | Unknown future use; potentially valuable crafting ingredient | --- ## Open Threads > [!warning] Unresolved > - [ ] **The floating fortress** — A devil's citadel is approaching from the north; what will it bring? > - [ ] **The scaly presence** — What brushed Timmy's hand in the magical darkness? > - [ ] **Ara-Ara Avannatto's mother's soul** — Captured by the horned devil; fate after its death is unknown > - [ ] **Ara-Ara Avannatto's brother's soul** — His killer is dead; the soul is still somewhere in the Hells > - [ ] **Soul coins in party possession** — Multiple trapped souls; no known method to free them yet > - [ ] **Undisclosed news from Baphomet's camp** — The unnamed paladin arrived with urgent news; never delivered > - [ ] **Damon Charles & Baphomet** — Baphomet's forces may pursue him; the defection has consequences > - [ ] **Phylactery selections** — Each PC still needs to finalize which soul they seek; see [[Lost Souls — Choose Your Soul]] > - [ ] **Devil's bile** — Dr. Herbert Who harvested it; purpose TBD --- ## Combat Summary ``` Session start: Combat already in progress - 2x Chain Devils (one grappling Unit-NULL, one at large) - 1x Horned Devil (grappling Casanova Frankenstein) Resolved this session: - Chain Devil #1 — Tangled chains; Unit-NULL executed it (shortsword) - Chain Devil #2 — Tahara Rahma Faerie Fire + Celeste Valentin grapple + Lilly Pallywally Longinus = destroyed - Horned Devil — Fled briefly; Damon Charles sword-strike to head = killed Notable mechanics: - Three overlapping spirit guardians (Tahara Rahma, Ara-Ara Avannatto, Celeste Valentin) as primary attrition engine - Enlarge on Celeste Valentin (Dr. Herbert Who) providing battlefield control advantage - Acid trap: 100 gp recovered; Unit-NULL healed by Damon Charles ``` --- ## Loot & Acquisitions | Item | Who | Notes | |------|-----|-------| | Soul Coin (unknown soul) | Timmy / Party | Retrieved from magical darkness; scaly presence felt | | Devil's Bile | [[The Party|Dr. Herbert Who]] | Harvested from horned devil; use unknown | | 100 gp | Party | Recovered from acid-trapped gold pile | | Oruo's body | Bag of Holding | At Ara-Ara Avannatto's request; body preserved for now | > For a full loot breakdown see [[Session Loot]]. --- ## Party This Session | Character | Highlights | |-----------|-----------| | [[The Party|Unit-NULL]] | Executed disabled chain devil; triggered acid trap; healed by Damon Charles | | [[The Party|Casanova Frankenstein]] | Had been grappled/choked by horned devil; attempted draconic cry; survived | | [[The Party|Tahara Rahma]] | Faerie Fire on chain devil; maintained spirit guardians | | [[The Party|Lilly Pallywally]] | Mounted; Longinus killing blow on chain devil; shielded from explosion | | [[The Party|Celeste Valentin]] | Grappled both fiends; felt soul coin terror; pulled lever; enlarged by Dr. Herbert Who | | [[The Party|Dr. Herbert Who]] | Enlarged Celeste Valentin; harvested devil's bile | | Timmy | Retrieved soul coin from magical darkness; felt scaly presence | | [[The Party|Damon Charles]] | Defected from Baphomet; killed final horned devil; healed Unit-NULL after acid trap | | [[The Party|Ara-Ara Avannatto]] | Maintained spirit guardians; withdrew to mourn brother's death; requested Oruo's body placed in bag of holding | --- *Session recorded on Plaud · File ID: `603049c9df15df184f18c61fa2730ca3` · Duration ~2h 08m*