History TabletopGame / BaldursGateDescentIntoAvernus

* AlwaysABiggerFish: Zariel would like to believe she's the biggest fish in Avernus. She is not, not with a true [[PhysicalGod goddess] like [[DragonsAreDivine Tiamat]] hanging around.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: Zariel would like to believe she's the biggest fish in Avernus. She is not. See SummonBiggerFish.

* MagicalMap: The map of Avernus was made by a madman ([[EldritchLocation or rather, he went mad in the process]]) and only reveals parts of the landscape that the players are either on their way to, or have already discovered. The voice of the mapmaker also provides commentary on places marked on the map.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: In Candlekeep, there's an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil ogre]] wearing a ''headband of intellect'', which he obtained from a halfling adventurer that he killed a few years ago, who has come to renounce his violent ways and instead studies ethics.

* BigBad: The archdevil Zariel serves as this for the entire adventure. With much of the story taking place in Avernus, the layer of the Nine Hells in which she has dominion over, chances are that the adventurers may cross paths with her in their quest to save Elturel. And if they do encounter her, the adventurers should be really careful lest they wish to invoke her infernal wrath. [[spoiler: She is solely responsible for offering Thavius Kreeg the Companion through an infernal contract fifty years ago which allowed her to claim Elturel and its citizens, making use of said contract to gather more mortal souls for the Blood War. She also had Duke Thalamra Vanthampur carry out her own EvilPlan of becoming the next Grand Duke of Bladur's Gate so that Thalamra can offer the city to the archdevil the same way Thavius did with Elturel.]]

* EarlyGameHell: {{Downplayed}} compared to other adventures, but the very first combat encounter is designed around using roleplay to get allies to help fight off a group of bandits inside a tavern. The issue is that the leader of the bandits is a '''bandit captain''', an enemy close to 70 hit points, which is more than an average party will have until they get around level 10, and whose default attacks have a large chance of hitting, plus he can attack twice. If the players don't secure allies in the tavern, its very likely a TotalPartyKill will follow. Thankfully, the encounters after this are more balanced and fair to the players, since the book encourages leveling them up after the first battle.

* HellHasNewManagement: [[spoiler: If Zariel would be redeemed or defeated in the course of the adventure, another powerful character can fight to take her place and claim Avernus for themselves. Either one of the demon lords (Baphomet, Yeenoghu or Kostchtchie) would rule Avernus and shift the balance of the Blood War in their favor, Bel reclaiming his title as archduke, Gargauth becoming the new ruler of Avernus after being freed from the Shield of the Hidden Lord (and most likely betraying the adventurers in the process), Arkhan the Cruel taking over Avernus in Tiamat's stead, or one of the adventurers themselves would become very willing to rule Avernus on their own terms.]]
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Throughout the course of the adventure, the hollyphant Lulu firmly believes that there's is still a spark of hope to save her friend Zariel, and she actively encourages the adventurers to use the Sword of Zariel to try to sway the archdevil back into goodness. Should they fail to redeem her, however, such an tragic outcome would drive Lulu insane, causing her to suffer the effects of a long-term madness.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: A variation. [[spoiler: Whoever attunes to the Sword of Zariel transforms to an idealized form of themself, and a good-aligned warrior. However, this is permanent and no spells can undo it, and even if the sword is returned to Zariel and she is redeemed, the previous wielder is forever changed. As a result, taking up the sword means essentially sacrificing your old identity forever.]]

* TruceZone: Mahadi's Wandering Emporium essentially serves as this within Avernus, and is one of the few places in the plane that the adventurers can seek refuge from the dangers of the infernal wasteland as well as conduct business with its merchants. Besides them, anyone is welcome to visit the emporium at anytime as long as they follow the following rules: '''"No fighting! No spellcasting! No exceptions!"'''

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: In Candlekeep, there's an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Ogre]] wearing a headband of intellect who has come to renounce his violent ways and instead studies ethics.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: In Candlekeep, there's an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Ogre]] wearing a headband of intellect who has come to renounce his violent ways and instead studies philosophy.

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: Asmodeus, [[SatanicArchetype archduke of Nessus and Supreme Master the Nine Hells]], obviously falls under this trope given the setting of the adventure. It states that he was the one who offered Zariel a place in the Nine Hells as the archduke of Avernus, a position then taken by the archdevil Bel, so that she can pursue her vendetta against the demons and became his champion in the Blood War. He also has Mahadi under his thrall as well, with the rakshasa acting as TheMole to privy into all sorts of dealings and information that might otherwise escape his attention. And by the adventure's end, he may even offer one of the [[PlayerCharacter adventurers]] the opportunity to rule Avernus as an archdevil should Zariel be redeemed or defeated.]]

* {{Deuteragonist}}: Lulu, the hollyphant. She's a celestial who lost her memories for before arriving in Faerûn, but feels compelled to help the adventurers when they head to Avernus, and becomes unquestionably the most important ally in the story. [[spoiler: She is actually a close friend of Zariel, and was entrusted by the former angel to assist in keeping the Sword of Zariel from falling into the wrong hands. She then lost her memories and her spellcasting ability as a result of Mahadi splashing her with water from the River Styx and selling her out to devils. But not before the now-archdevil Zariel decided to spare her former friend and sent her to Faerûn with her mental faculties restored.]]

* EvilVersusEvil: Being the location of the ForeverWar that is the Blood War, players will often find [[LawfulEvil devils]] and [[ChaoticEvil demons]] fighting each other.

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: Asmodeus, [[SatanicArchetype lord of the Nine Hells and ruler of devilkind]], obviously falls under this trope given the setting of the adventure. It states that he was the one who offered Zariel a place in the Nine Hells as the archduke of Avernus, a position then taken by the archdevil Bel, so that she can pursue her vendetta against the demons and became his champion in the Blood War. He also has Mahadi under his thrall as well, with the rakshasa acting as TheMole to privy into all sorts of dealings and information that might otherwise escape his attention. And by the adventure's end, he may even offer one of the [[PlayerCharacter adventurers]] the opportunity to rule Avernus as an archdevil should Zariel be redeemed or defeated.]]

* SummonBiggerFish: [[spoiler: One of the ways Elturel can be saved is with [[DragonsAreDivine Tiamat]], whom the adventurers can make contact with through her champion Arkhan the Cruel. In this case, [[EnemyMine she is more than willing to help them free the city]] by breaking the chains binding it as well as destroying the Companion as long as they can handle Zariel and/or support Arkhan into ruling Avernus in Tiamat's stead. Should the adventurers confront Zariel as Tiamat helps them free Elturel, the archdevil will focus on attacking the adventurers with the hopes that the Dragon Queen will cease her efforts upon the deaths of her accomplices.]]

* SummonBiggerFish: [[spoiler: One of the ways Elturel can be saved is with [[DragonsAreDemonic Tiamat]], whom the adventurers can make contact with through her champion Arkhan the Cruel. In this case, [[EnemyMine she is more than willing to help them free the city]] by breaking the chains binding it as well as destroying the Companion as long as they can handle Zariel and/or support Arkhan into ruling Avernus in Tiamat's stead. Should the adventurers confront Zariel as Tiamat helps them free Elturel, the archdevil will focus on attacking the adventurers with the hopes that the Dragon Queen will cease her efforts upon the deaths of her accomplices.]]

* HalfwayPlotSwitch: The first couple of chapters of the adventure are about investigating the actions of an evil cult in Baldur's Gate. The rest of the module is about going to Avernus to rescue the city of Elturel after it's been sucked into it. The cult had absolutely nothing to do with the disappearance of the city.

* NeverMessWithGranny: Early into the players trip to Avernus, they'll likely run into Mad Maggie, a Hag who operates out of a ruined fort near Elturel. She's [[AffablyEvil overal polite and willing to help the heroes]] but if she is slighted, she'll give the players hell for doing so, especially if they mess with SacredHospitality.

* HellHasNewManagement: [[spoiler: If Zariel would be redeemed or defeated in the course of the adventure, another powerful character can fight to take her place and claim Avernus for themselves. Either one of the demon lords (Baphomet, Yeenoghu or Kostchtchie) would rule Avernus and shift the balance of the Blood War in their favor, Bel reclaiming his title as archduke, Gargauth becoming the new ruler of Avernus after being freed from the Shield of the Hidden Lord (and most likely betraying the adventurers in the process), Arkhan the Cruel taking over Avernus Tiamat's stead, or one of the adventurers themselves would become very willing to rule Avernus on their own terms.]]

** A bearded devil named Krikendolt appears to be of chaotic good alignment, but this is mainly due to brain damage he had suffered in a previous battle in the Blood War. Unfortunately, this made him as a punching bag to his fellow bearded devils, who looked down on him for his newfound sense of compassion. [[spoiler: The only way he can be restored to his original lawful evil alignment is through a ''heal'' spell or similar kind of magic.]]
** [[spoiler: In Chapter 5, the archdevil Zariel would become this '''only if''' the adventurers prove successful in redeeming her. With a newfound sense of hope for herself after being forgiven by the adventurers, she takes the Sword of Zariel and reverts back to her angelic form.]]

* AngelicTransformation: [[spoiler: Anyone who is attuned to the Sword of Zariel and is deemed worthy of its power is transformed into an angelic version of themselves. This includes a change in alignment and personality, sprouting feathered wings, gaining TrueSight, etc. However, the sword also is very strict in how it operates, meaning while wielding it, its personality overrides the wielders to a degree, forcing a new set of personality traits onto them.]]

* {{Deuteragonist}}: Lulu, the hollyphant. She's a celestial who lost her memories for some reason, but feels compelled to help the adventurers when they head to Avernus, and becomes unquestionably the most important ally in the story. [[spoiler: She is actually a close friend of Zariel, and was entrusted by the former angel to assist in keeping the Sword of Zariel from falling into the wrong hands. She lost her memories and her spellcasting ability as a result of Mahadi splashing her with water from the River Styx and selling her out to devils. But not before the now-archdevil Zariel decided to spare her former friend and send her back to Faerûn with her mental faculties restored.]]

* DysfunctionalFamily: The Vanthampur is a credible threat at the start, but despite their power, they simply cannot at all work together, which is what allows the party to stop them. Thalmara is ruthless and cunning, but she has no care for her sons in regards to her own plans, and all three of her sons are either willing to backstab each other, or don't care to work together towards their common goal. Mortlock for example will just flat out give away his families role in the crisis just because they don't get along, and the oldest son, Thurstwell, only bothers to spy on people who would get in the way of his mothers work, but doesn't care at all for his siblings to bother helping. Capitalizing on this dysfunction is why they are ultimately undone by the players.
* EarlyGameHell: {{Downplayed}} compared to other adventures, but the very first combat encounter is designed around using roleplay to get allies to help fight off a group of bandits inside a tavern. The issue is that the leader of the bandits is a Bandit Captain, an enemy close to 70 health, which is more than an average party will have until they get around level 10, and whose default attacks have a large chance of hitting, plus he can attack twice. If players don't secure allies in the tavern, its very likely a TotalPartyKill will follow. Thankfully, the encounters after this are more balanced and fair to the players, since the book encourages leveling them up after the first battle.
* EasyAmnesia: InUniverse. This is the reason the River Styx is so difficult to approach. Even being only ''slightly'' splashed by it can cause people to lose their memories, and falling into it means risking being affected by effects similar to the Feeblemind spell, at which point if not removed from the river within thirty days, the user loses their memories forever.

* EvilMatriarch: Thalamra Vanthampur, matriarch of the noble Vanthampur family and one of the ruling dukes of Baldur's Gate, is secretly plotting to take over the city as its new Grand Duke and offer it to the archdevil Zariel, with whom she is very loyal to. Even her own sons (except [[TokenGoodTeammate Mortlock,]] [[TheUnfavorite whom she and her other sons despise]]) are also helping her with her goals by acquiring the Shield of the Hidden Lord from the Hhune family and assisting the Cult of the Dead Three in carrying out murder sprees across Baldur's Gate to hinder the Flaming Fist's influence over the city.

* GuestStarPartyMember: Reya Mantlemorn, a Hellrider of Elturel who was away when the city vanished and is seeking to find out why. She joins the adventurers during the events in Baldur's Gate, and if the party is mostly good-aligned, remains with them from relatively early in the story, all the way until the players decide to leave Elturel to explore Avernus, at which point she stays behind to help defend the city. With the stat block of a veteran, she'll be very useful in surviving up until that point.
* HateSink: Thavius Kreeg. [[spoiler: In desperation to save Elturel from its vampire ruler, he made a deal with Zariel to save it. But from that moment, he used that to claim he saved the city, allowing him to gain massive political power. Knowing when Elturel would fall into Avernus however, he [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere left it to its fate]] and fled to Baldur's Gate, and [[HistoryRepeats attempted to do the same thing]] to the city just so he could survive. If he dies before the players head to Avernus, he ends up in Avernus as a devil because of his pact, but when encountered, [[DidntThinkThisThrough he's crying because he didn't think Zariel]] would [[ItsAllAboutMe have him suffer anything bad]]. He's a selfish man who cares not for the many innocent people who died for his own ambition.]]

* HellHasNewManagement: [[spoiler: If Zariel would be redeemed or defeated in the course of the adventure, another powerful character can fight to take her place and claim Avernus for themselves. Either one of the demon lords (Baphomet, Yeenoghu or Kostchtchie) would rule Avernus and shift the balance of the Blood War in their favor, Bel reclaiming his title as archduke, Gargauth becoming the new ruler of Avernus after being freed from the Shield of the Hidden Lord (and most likely betraying the adventurers in the process), Arkhan the Cruel taking over Avernus on behalf of Tiamat, or one of the adventurers themselves would become very willing to rule Avernus on their own terms.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: A variation. [[spoiler: Whoever attunes to the Sword of Zariel changes to an idealized form of themself, and a good aligned warrior. However, this is permanent and no spells can undo it, and even if the sword is returned to Zariel and she is redeemed, the previous wielder is forever changed. As a result, taking up the sword means essentially sacrificing your old identity forever.]]

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Jander Sunstar. A random Vampire Elf that players find within Avernus stuck on a pike to suffer for some past event. [[spoiler:Turns out he was one of the primary reasons for Zariel's fall, as he and many Hellriders fled back to the Prime Material Plane after entering Avernus due to being overwhelmed by the horror of the Blood War. In doing so, the portal taken closed and left Zariel and her remaining troops in Hell, essentially acting as the face for what caused Zariel's fall]]. Despite this, he's a very minor character in the overall story.

* EarlyGameHell: {{Downplayed}} compared to other adventures, but the very first combat encounter is designed around using roleplay to get allies to help fight off a group of bandits inside a tavern. The issue is that the leader of the bandits is a Bandit Captain, an enemy with almost five times the average health of most adventures, and whose default attacks have a large chance of hitting, plus he can attack twice. If players don't secure allies in the tavern, its very likely a TotalPartyKill will follow. Thankfully, the encounters after this are more balanced and fair to the players, since the book encourages leveling them up after the first battle.

* EvilMatriarch: [[spoiler: Thalamra Vanthampur, matriarch of the noble Vanthampur family and one of the ruling dukes of Baldur's Gate, is secretly plotting to take over the city as its new Grand Duke and offer it to the archdevil Zariel, with whom she is very loyal to. Even her own sons (except [[TokenGoodTeammate Mortlock,]] [[TheUnfavorite whom she and her other sons despise]]) are also helping her with her goals by acquiring the Shield of the Hidden Lord from the Hhune family and assisting the Cult of the Dead Three in carrying out murder sprees across Baldur's Gate to hinder the Flaming Fist's influence over the city.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: A variation. [[spoiler: Whoever attunes to the Sword of Zariel gives up their humanity and becomes a celestial. However, this is permanent and no spells can undo it. As a result, taking up the sword means essentially sacrificing yourself forever.]]

* AngelicTransformation: [[spoiler: Anyone who is attuned to the Sword of Zariel and is deemed worthy of its power is transformed into an angelic version of themselves. This includes a change in alignment and personality, sprouting feathered wings, gaining TrueSight, etc.]]

** [[spoiler:One of the ways Elturel can be saved is by making one with Zariel. If the players wish to, they can offer to join the Blood War as devils in exchange for saving the city]].

* EasyAmnesia: InUniverse. This is the reason the River Styx is so difficult to approach. Even being only ''slightly'' splashed by it can cause people to lose their memories.