24-04-30: Descent into Avernus Part 11

Double Tapp hears the voice of the Hidden Lord in their head, encouraging them to look in the northern room of the temple. The broken stained glass is of Lathander amongst fallen men; the voice in Double Tapp's head encourages them to pray to Lathander. She tells Coin and Solana about this. Solana decides to pray to Lathander. The window glows briefly, a baton glows and becomes a glowing spear that Solana takes.

We try to take a short rest in the temple. We send Cephea into the curtained off room; there's a man with a spirit and two insectoid looking creatures. We call out to see if he's friendly; he says he is if we don't consort with devils. We say we're here to save Elturel, planning on finding Zariel and the contract that doomed it. We go into the room; Reya recognizes him as Gideon Lightward, the priest of Lathander. We ask after Duke Ravenguard, he says other humans passed this way. Solana and Double Tapp recognize that Gideon is undead. He says that when he died during the Fall of Elturel, his 'mistress' revived him. When asked if he means Lathander, who is a man, he says no, Zariel.

-Solana asks where the other humans went, Gideon says downstairs. She attacks Gideon, misses.
-Mezzoloth attacks Solana, misses, misses thanks to arcane reflection. Mezzoloth attacks Lulu, misses, misses.
-Reya attacks Gideon, misses, misses.
-Gideon attacks Reya, hits for -9 and -12 damage.
-Put Upon attacks Gideon, hits for -3 damage.
-Double Tapp attacks specter, hits for -7 damage. Hides.
-Coin casts chaos bolt at Gideon, hits for -16 damage. Gives Orinthia bardic inspiration.
-Orinthia attacks specter, hits for -7 and -4 damage.
-Specter attacks Orinthia, misses.
-A whole bunch of footsteps come from the stairs.
-Solana attacks mezzoloth, hits for -3 damage. Burns a ki point for flurry of blows, misses, misses.
-Lulu disengages and retreats.
-Giant Scorpion appears, attacks mezzoloth, hits for -26 and -9 damage.
-Mezzoloth attacks giant scorpion, misses, misses. Mezzoloth attacks scorpion, hits for -11 damage, misses.
-Reya attacks Gideon, hits, hits.
-Gideon yells to ignore the intruders, attack the devils. Attacks the giant scorpion, hits, hits.
-Double Tapp attacks the specter, hits and kills it. Hides.
-Put Upon goes invisible.
-Coin casts faerie fire on Gideon, the mezzoloths, and giant scorpion.
-Orinthia casts Tasha's Caustic Brew, hits Gideon for -5 damage, hits scorpion for -10 damage.
-Dretches move.
-Solana attacks Gideon, hits for -4 damage, headbutts him, hits for -2 damage.
-Giant Scorpion attacks Gideon, hits for -8 damage.
-Mezzoloths attack scorpion, hits for -10 and -5 damage, misses, misses.
-Reya attacks Gideon, hits for -4 and -3 damage.
-Gideon attacks giant scorpion, hits for -12 damage, killing it. Moves away; Reya's attack of opportunity hits for -3 damage, Solana's attack of opportunity hits for -14 damage.
-Double Tapp attacks mezzoloth, misses. Hides.
-Put Upon stays outside the curtain.
-Coin casts ray of frost, hits for -15 damage.
-Orinthia casts acid splash on Gideon and dretch, hits for -10 damage.
-Dretch moves away from Gideon, his attack of opportunity hits for -15 damage. Dretch lets out a poison attack, no one is damaged. Dretch attacks Gideon, hits for -1 damage, misses. Dretch attacks Gideon, hits for -2 damage, misses. Dretch attacks Gideon, hits for -1 and -2 damage.
-Solana is poisoned by gas. Attacks Mezzoloth, misses. Moves out of gas.
-Lulu attacks Dretch, hits for -5 damage.
-Mezzoloth attacks dretch, hits and kills it. Mezzoloth attacks dretch, hits for -8 damage.
-Reya attacks dretch, hits and kills it.
-Gideon attacks dretch, misses, hits and kills it.
-Double Tapp attacks Gideon, hits for -8 damage. Hides.
-Put Upon stings dretch, misses.
-Coin casts ray of frost at Gideon, hits for -11 damage.
-Orinthia casts acid splash, misses Gideon, hits Orinthia for -10 damage, killing it.
-Dretch exhales poison, Put Upon is poisoned.
-Solana casts radiant sunbolt on Gideon, hits for -16 damage, killing him. Burns a ki point for flurry of blows on mezzoloth, hits for -8 and -7 damage.
-Lulu escapes the poison gas.
-Mezzoloths attack dretch, hit and kill it.
-Reya attacks Mezzoloth, hits for -5 and -3 damage.
-Double Tapp attacks mezzoloth, hits for -13 damage, killing it.
-Put Upon stings mezzoloth, hits for -2 damage.
-Coin casts ray of frost at mezzoloth, misses.
-Orinthia attacks mezzoloth, hits for -6 and -4 damage.
-Solana casts radiant sun bolt on mezzoloth, misses, hits for -7 damage.
-Lulu attacks mezzoloth, hits for -1 damage.
-Mezzoloth attacks Lulu, misses, misses.
-Reya attacks mezzoloth, misses, misses.
-Double Tapp attacks mezzoloth, hits for -5 damage.
-Put Upon stings mezzoloth, hits for -3 damage.
-Coin casts vicious mockery on mezzoloth, hits for -8 damage.
-Orinthia attacks mezzoloth, hits for -4 and -5 damage.
-Solana casts radiant sun bolt on mezzoloth, hits for -7 and -5 damage.
-Lulu attacks mezzoloth, misses.
-Mezzoloth attacks Orinthia, misses, misses.
-Reya attacks mezzoloth, hits for -3 and -5 damage.
-Double Tapp attacks mezzoloth, hits for -6 damage, killing it.

Upon looting Gideon's body, Solana finds a book written by him; it was written in the months leading up to Elturel's fall, about demons, falling away from the worship of Lathander, and it's clear he was going mad. We try to read deeper into it; Solana ends up cursed with a hatred for demons.

We send Cephea to scout out downstairs. There's a chamber for preparation of bodies before funerals; it's been heavily looted, fluids everywhere and knives and shards. There's stairs leading down to several hallways, and more stairs. We decide to go downstairs for our long rest. Solana feels her hatred of demons pass.