Hell Heist

Dante’s Inn
SUMMARY
Nicknamed “The Seventh Deadly
Inn,” Dante’s is a one-of-a-kind tavern on the Material Plane that caters to both mortals and devils.
Its proprietor Dante is a cambion:
the offspring of a human father and a cubi mother. He maintains a safe environment for drinking, gambling, and resting, regardless of a customer’s plane of origin.
THE HELLMOUTH
The tavern’s basement contains a portal to Hell known as the
Hellmouth. Stepping into this ring of salt and fire instantly transports one to the top level of The Inferno
(Area 1.1).
Dante makes the Hellmouth available to any who care to use it, though few take him up on the offer. When they do, bar patrons take bets on how far the adventurers will make it before a hell-beast devours their souls.
SETTING
You can set Dante’s Inn anywhere on the Material Plane of your setting. This text assumes it’s in a remote location, so that all action in the adventure is limited either to
The Inferno or to Dante’s.
ROLE IN “HELL HEIST”
Dante’s should serve as the party’s
“home base” for the entirety of their journey through Hell. They are free to rest, shop, and sell treasure in
Dante’s between delves.
MENU
Item
Cost
Inn room (1 night)
1 gp
Darvazan cactus juice (cup)
1 sp
Ale (mug)
2 sp
Diabolic daiquiri
5 sp
Dantalion wine (bottle)
15 gp
Random potion (SD 286-87) 150 gp
Belphegor’s Reserve (shot)
25 gp
Archdeviled eggs
3 sp
Spicy imp wings
5 sp
To-go meal (3 rations)
5 sp
NPCS
Dante’s has several employees and regular customers who will become familiar faces throughout the adventure.
DANTE
Cambion proprietor. Answers to the needs of customers with dry humor and supernatural patience.
AMY
Tiefling elf bartender. Offers excellent service, but only to the biggest tippers.
KLARA ZORAAN
Orc arms dealer. Sells all nonmagical weapons and armor (SD
36-37).
LUNE DEGGLE
Halfling merchant. Sells all basic gear (SD 35) at a 10% markup.
ASTAL VON JAREK
Human collector of diabolic artifacts.
MORGAN BOLA
Dwarf diabolist. Offers consultation about diabolic law or contracts at a rate of 10 gp/hour.
REX DANGEROUS
Retired human adventurer. Spends his profits from Letters from the
Dark Vol. IV here. Dante’s is one of the few taverns on the Material
Plane that hasn’t banned Rex yet.
BOTTLE
Imp messenger. Delivers mail to and from Dante’s every day. 1 gp to send a letter anywhere in Hell or on the Material Plane.
BUNÉ
Archdevil of the First Circle of Hell.
Not present until the party has met him in Area 1.8. Full description on page 45.
CAROUSING
Players should carouse (SD 92-93) in between trips through the
Hellmouth. Carousing outcomes are unique at Dante’s:
DANTE’S INN CAROUSING OUTCOME
d8+ Outcome
Benefit
1
People can’t even remember if you were at the party
Gain 1 XP
2
Dante gave you a stern lecture about actions and their consequences
Gain 2 XP
3
You broke one of Astal’s artifacts and had to pay him 20% of your wealth
Gain 3 XP
4
Rex Dangerous promised to write about your exploits in his next book
Gain 3 XP
5
You learned one of Dante’s recipes
Gain 3 XP
6
You gave your armor to Amy as a tip
Gain 4 XP
7
You won a magic orcish weapon from
Klara in a contest of strength
8
You told a joke that somehow made
Buné laugh
9
You spent 10 gp mailing insulting letters to strangers via Bottle
10
You chugged a diabolic whiskey known to kill mortals
11
Apparently there was a raffle, and you won
12
You beat a visiting devil in a fiddle contest
13
Buné accidentally told you the True
Name of another archdevil
14+ Morgan Bola offered to help renegotiate your contract
Gain 4 XP and a random +1 weapon
Gain 4 XP and ADV on
CHA checks with devils for 1 week
Gain 5 XP and an NPC rival
Gain 5 XP and the respect of many devils
Gain 5 XP and a random item from your treasure table
Gain 5 XP and a random blessing (SD
281) for 1 week
Gain 6 XP and a random archdevil’s
True Name (SD 319)
Gain 6 XP and a renegotiation (p. 25)

1.1 CENTRAL CHAMBER
Portal: 10’ circle of heatless flame. Doors: Seven doors surround the room.
• Portal. Leads to and from Dante’s Inn (p. 38).
• Doors. Heavy stone. All except north door (Area 1.2) unlocked.

1.2 DOORS TO SECOND CIRCLE
Doors: Locked. Six keyholes on surface.
• Opening. Unlocked by the six keys found in Areas 1.3-
1.8.
▸Portal. Once opened, serves as a portal to Area 2.1.

1.3 BUERS
Key: On stone pedestal. Monsters: Four lion heads, each with five hoofed legs.
• Monsters. Four buers attack and fight until destroyed.

1.4 MAGNETIC SKEWER TRAP
Key: Floats in midair. Spear Heads: Strewn about the room.
• Indicator. Spear heads all point toward the metal key.
• Trigger. Spear heads shoot toward anyone in the room who wears or carries metal.
• Damage. DC 12 DEX each round to dodge. DISADV if wearing metal. 1d4 damage if carrying metal, 2d4 damage if wearing metal.
• Overcome. Remove all metal gear and armor or construct some kind of shield.

1.5 LIMBO BAR PUZZLE
Key: On floor at far end of room. Metal Bar: Horizontal. Spans width of room. Floats at eye level.
• Bar. Moves up or down to always float at eye level of the creature closest to the key.
▸Obstacle. Can’t move past the bar normally, as it always moves to block the character.
▸Possible Solutions. Wedge an object under the bar to block it. Do a handstand and go over the bar. Go side-by-side as a group.

1.6 VINE TRAP
Vines: Cover floor and walls. Key: Suspended between several vines.
• Indicator. All vines converge on the metal key. Vines are taut.
• Trigger. Removing the key or cutting the vines causes all vines to grow thorns. 1d4 damage and ensnare everyone in the room. DC 12
STR on turn to escape, 1 damage on failed attempt.

1.7 AGUAR
Monster: Six-legged crocodile. Asleep. Key: On chain around the monster’s neck.
• Monster. A sleeping aguar.
▸Combat. Attacks if awakened. “Surrenders” at half HP, but this is a ruse to catch the adventurers off-guard.
1.8 ARCHDEVIL BUNÉ
Devil: Horned draconic humanoid in black robes. Sits in a plush chair.
• Devil. The Archdevil Buné welcomes the player characters.
▸Key. Gives the adventurers a key, free of charge.
▸Services. Explains the services he can offer (p. 45), then plane shifts “upstairs” to Dante’s Inn, where he waits for the remainder of the adventure.
▸Hints. Can give hints to any of the challenges in this circle if asked.
Archdevil Buné
As the keeper of the boundary between Hell and the Material Plane, Buné takes a more active interest in the world of mortals than his peers. Due to his mastery of Limbo, Buné can interrupt the flow of souls between planes, a power not possessed even by The Nine.
ROLE IN HELL HEIST
Once the player characters meet Buné in Area 1.8, he heads to
Dante’s Inn, where he has a special booth reserved for himself. He will remain there throughout the adventure, acting cordially to the party and offering to aid them — for a price.
SERVICES
If a player character dies, Buné offers to restore their soul to life. In return, they must add an amendment to their contract (p. 27)
promising 1d6 x 100 years of servitude to him, and they must roll an additional curse. If they agree, Buné intercepts the character’s soul on its way to their patron. He resurrects them with full HP and the same level, XP, and items they had at death.
For the price of 1d6 x 100 years of service (but no additional curses), Buné can reincarnate a dead character, allowing them to reroll their character while keeping their alignment, background, contract, level, XP, and items.
While he doesn’t explain his motives, Buné is willing to risk helping the party because he thinks they will ultimately fail their quest. He might as well “invest” in their souls now.

1. Six Trials
Liminal space between the Material Plane and the depths of Hell.
8
7
6
5
FEATURES
• Light. All rooms except Area 1 pitch black.
• Construction. Plain stone floors and stucco walls.
• Safe. No random encounters.
2
3
1
4
=5 ft. =door =portal

2.1 PORTAL FROM FIRST CIRCLE
Portal: Floating magical doorway.
• Portal. Leads to and from Area 1.2.

2.10 VORTEX PORTAL
Vortex: 30’ wide vortex of whirling air and flying debris. Portal:
Glowing sphere in center of vortex.
• Vortex. Buffeting winds.
▸Damage. DC 12 DEX each turn or get hit with debris (1d6 damage)
▸Debris. DC 18 DEX to snatch a flying object out of the air. Prevent all damage and receive a random item d6 (reroll duplicates):
1. Random junk. 2. Treasure 0-3 table (SD 270-71). 3. Goblin
Bomb (SD 303). 4. Chipped emerald (100 gp). 5. Golden idol of
Pazuzu (120 gp). 6. Scared and confused imp.
• Portal. Air intake for the worm Stoor. Leads to Area 3.1.

2.11 AIR VENT PORTAL
Portal: Floating magical doorway. Air: Flows out of the portal. Hot, rotten-smelling.
• Portal. Vents air from the worm Stoor. Leads to and from Area 3.14.

2.12 DRUMHELLER
Person: Sullen halfling kneeling before a pile of twigs.
• Person. Drumheller, a mortal soul indebted to Pazuzu.
▸Punishment. Told he could go free if he manages to light a roaring bonfire using two sticks. Every time he gets a spark going, the wind quickly snuffs it out.

2.13 FLYING CONTRAPTIONS
Devil: Winged humanoid in a small tent. Contraptions: Tent full of odd machines made of wood and cloth.
• Devil. Leonard the cubi. Sells flying machines.
• Contraptions. Artificial wings.
▸Purchasing. 20 gp each. Hell currency only.
▸Use. DC 12 STR or DEX to glide to an adjacent platform. On a fail, fall off the platform (see Falling, p. 46).

2.14 LIGHTNING ROD
Rod: Copper rod standing upright at center of platform. Clouds: Dark storm clouds 30’ overhead.
• Rod. +1 staff named Crackle.
▸Benefit. Your magic missiles always deal maximum damage.
▸Curse. Whenever wielder rolls a natural 1 on any d20 roll, they are struck by lightning, taking 3d6 damage.
• Clouds. Whenever wind gusts (see Gusts, p. 46), if the rod is still affixed to the platform, lightning strikes it. All creatures on this platform DC 15 DEX or 3d6 damage.

2.15 EMPTY ISLAND
Empty.

2.16 EMPTY ISLAND
Empty.

2.17 PAIMON’S CHATEAU
Structure: Clay building with an open roof. Mural: Depicts three hideous devils embracing each other.
• Building. Several empty rooms and an outdoor garden.
• Mural. Depicts Pazuzu (Area 2.19), Bes (Area 2.3), and their son
Paimon (Described in Area 5.6).
• Evidence. Large, round footprints in the ground.
▸Source. From Archdevil Lamashtu (Area 5.5), who kidnapped
Paimon one year ago.

2.18 EMPTY ISLAND
Empty.

2.19 ARCHDEVIL PAZUZU
Devil: Naked, canine-faced humanoid with four black wings. A scorpion tail whips around behind him. Throne: Red clay. Atop a 10’ tall cylindrical dais.
• Devil. Archdevil Pazuzu. Surprised at the mortals’ presence.
▸Rivalry. Despises his sister Archdevil Lamashtu, who kidnapped his son Paimon (from Area 2.17) one year ago.
▸Quest. Will bestow a permanent blessing (below) to one adventurer if they return Paimon to Pazuzu.
▸Pazuzu’s Wing Blessing. You are immune to the effects of poison.
You can cast fly using CHA. When you do, four black wings extend from your back.
• Throne. Every 20 real-world minutes, Pazuzu commands the throne’s dais to rotate toward a certain direction. This causes a large gust of wind in the entire circle (see Gusts, p. 46).

2.2 MURMUUR
Monster: Giant vulture-devil the size of an ogre. Nest: 10’ wide Pile of bones, tendons, and chains.
• Monster. Murmuur devil, extremely protective of its nest.
▸Personality. Wants to avoid combat, but doesn’t hesitate to attack when threatened.
▸Combat. Uses screech ability to knock characters off the island.
• Nest. Contains three watermelon-sized eggs.
▸Eggs. Burning hot to the touch. If broken, explode and knock close objects back a near distance.

2.20 EMPTY ISLAND
Empty.

2.3 BES
Devil: Human-sized snake with four wings. Holds a silk string that leads off into the endless sky.
• Devil. Bes (use stats for naga, MV double near (fly)). Wife of Pazuzu and oracle of Hell.
▸Prophecy. For the price of a Soul Gem (p. 14), Bes can cast prophecy (automatically succeeding) for a mortal. She writes the mortal’s question on a piece of paper, which zips away on the string. A paper with the answer to the question returns on the string one round later.

2.4 CAYMS
Creatures: Three humanoid blackbirds wielding cutlasses.
• Creatures. Three cayms. Brash, cocky, and daring. Servants of
Archdevil Pazuzu.

2.5 HONDARK
Person: Shackled half-orc with his tongue connected to a large, flying kite.
• Person. Hondark Woodsplitter. Mortal who signed a contract with
Archdevil Pazuzu.
▸Punishment. Shackles bind his feet to the platform. Kite causes immense pain every time the wind blows. Can’t be freed or helped.
▸Conversing. Difficult as he can’t use his tongue.

2.6 INVISIBLE STALKER
Floor: Coated in a thin layer of sand. Sound: Eerily silent, despite the strong winds.
• Sand. Doesn’t move, despite the wind.
• Monster. 3:6 chance the invisible stalker is here. It floats 5’ off the ground at minimum and makes a point to avoid the sand.
▸Weakness. Elemental earth is anathema to the invisible stalker. If sand, dust, mud, or the like touches the stalker, it immediately dissipates.

2.7 COURT OF DIABOLIC LAW
Devil: Hawk-faced devil in black robes. Sits behind a podium.
Petitioners: Dozens of mortal souls waiting in line.
• Devil. Minos the barbato. One of Hell’s judges.
▸Purpose. Hears arguments from mortal souls who object to their sentence or treatment.
▸Manner. Stern, unyielding. Cares only for the letter of the law.

2.8 ICY PLATFORM
Ice: Frozen coating on entire platform.
• Slippery. DC 12 DEX to move without sliding over the edge (and falling to Area 2.13).

2.9 WINDMILL DOOR PUZZLE
Windmill: 50’ tall tower with large, cloth-covered blades on top.
• Windmill. Blades jerk back and forth as wind shifts.
• Door. Iron portcullis at base of windmill. Too heavy to lift with sheer strength. A treasure chest is visible behind it.
▸Indicator. The portcullis door lifts upward a few inches every time the windmill’s blades turn clockwise, but then immediately slams down when the blades change direction.
▸Solution. If the characters can find a way to force the blades to turn clockwise for an extended period, the portcullis will lift up all the way, allowing access to the treasure chest.
• Treasure Chest. Contains a random magic armor with 1 benefit and 1 curse (SD 284-85).

2. Lilua
Floating palace of the wind-devil Pazuzu.
FEATURES
• Light. Endless pitch-black sky.
• Construction. Twenty floating, 50’-wide, triangular islands made of stone. Some connected by chain bridges.
• Gravity. Matter is pulled toward the center, meaning each island has regular gravity when standing on the outside of the “sphere.”
• Wind. Winds beat in all directions. DISADV on ranged weapon attacks. Weapon ranges limited to near.
• Gusts. Every 20 real-world minutes, huge wind blows in a random direction. Pushes all mortals to a random, adjacent island.
• Falling. Creatures who fall off an island fall through the sphere, landing on the island opposite of their starting island (see table below).
• Risky. Check for a random encounter every 2 crawling rounds.
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d10 Details
1
A caym
2
Invisible stalker from Area 2.6
3
A cubi
4
Wind extinguishes all flames
5
1d4 imps
6
1d4 vultures
7
A loud screech in the distance
8
Drumheller from Area 2.12
9
Archdevil Pazuzu
10
An unexpected gust
FALLING
Island
To/From
Island
1
↔
20
2
↔
19
3
↔
18
4
↔
17
5
↔
16
6
↔
15
7
↔
14
8
↔
13
9
↔
12
10
↔
11
GM TIP - VISUALIZING THE 3D MAP
Lilua has 20 triangular islands in a roughly spherical shape. You may have realized that this makes Lilua an icosahedron, AKA a d20! The islands are numbered according to the faces on a standard d20. You and your players can keep a d20 on hand to visualize the islands’ relative positions.
Lilua: Topological Map
This is a “flattened” view of the twenty islands. It shows which islands are adjacent and/or connected to each other (not to scale).
7
3
15
16
12
8
1*
19
13
9
5
18
14
2
20
Adjacent, connected by chain bridge
Adjacent, not connected
*
Portal
10*
17
6
11*
4

3.1 MOUTH
Tongue: Lashing mass of purple flesh connected to floor. Teeth:
Sixteen. Shield-sized, studded with gems. Portal: Magical gate that emits cool air.
• Tongue. Attacks any intruding creatures in the mouth at random.
▸Stats. Use stats of 1-headed hydra (SD 227): ATK 1 lash (near) +6
(1d8), MV none.
▸Splitting. When destroyed, tongue splits in two in the same manner as hydra heads unless cauterized.
▸Regeneration. If completely destroyed, tongue regenerates to original state after one day.
• Teeth. Sixteen (250 gp, 4 gear slots each). Diamond-encrusted.
▸Pulling. DC 18 STR to remove. Any attempt causes each tongue to reactively lash out and attack the character.
• Portal. Air intake for Stoor. Leads to Area 2.10.

3.10 ARCHDEVIL BERITH
Devil: Humanoid insect. Belly distended and pulsating. Veins: Web of slimy veins connects devil to the walls of the room.
• Devil. Archdevil Berith. Sensed that the party was coming.
▸Quest. Will bestow a permanent blessing (below) to one adventurer if they ensure that Twill Renard (Area 3.7) goes through each phase of digestion (chewed in Area 3.1, dissolved in
Area 3.5, Ground up in Area 3.9, dissolved further in Area 3.12, regenerated in Area 3.14, and excreted in Area 3.15).
▸Berith’s Hunger Blessing. 1/day, eat a dead creature down to the bone to regain 1d8 HP for each of that creature’s levels.
• Veins. Connect Berith to her “child” Stoor. She senses everything and everyone inside Stoor (including whether the party agreed to help Twill in Area 3.7).
• Portal. Gateway leading to Area 4.5. Absorbs digestion byproducts from Area 3.9.

3.11 SPHINCTER
Sphincter: Identical to Area 3.4.

3.12 OOZE POOL
Acid Pool: Small pond of bubbling gray goo.
• Oozes. Ground up skeletons are dissolved here into gray oozes.
2d4 are present at any given time.
• Portal. Gateway leading to Area 4.8.

3.13 LOWER INTESTINE
Passage: 10’ wide cylindrical tunnel. Movement: Walls pulsate.
• Oozes. Oozes from Area 3.12 coalesce here into a gelatinous cube.
▸Gelatinous Cube. Formed at top of lower intestine, then moves 5’ each round toward Area 3.15. When one cube completes the journey, a new one is formed at the top and repeats the process.
• Movement. Constricting intestines push everyone down the intestines 5’ each round.

3.14 REGENERATION
Passage: 10’ wide. Portal: Magical hole that sucks in air.
• Regeneration. All organic matter is magically regenerated here.
▸Oozes. Gelatinous cubes (from Area 3.13) turn back into skeletons, then into mortals, who leave via the anus (Area 3.15).
▸Others. Other creatures (including player characters) are restored to full HP and receive all the benefits of a night’s rest.
• Portal. Air exhaust for Stoor. Leads to Area 2.11.

3.15 ANUS
Anus: Hole leading outside.
• Debtors. Indentured mortals leave through the anus into the Third
Circle of Hell (p. 11), where they wait to be eaten by Stoor again.
• Exiting. Player characters can try to leave through the anus here, but there is little outside except for endless piles of rotten flesh.
The best way to return to The Inferno is to be re-swallowed by
Stoor. You could also allow Buné to help them, but he will only do so for a price (p. 45).

3.2 THROAT
Passage: 2’ wide fleshy, slimy tube.
• Pass Through. DC 9 DEX to squeeze through.
▸Failure. Throat constricts, crushing all inside for 1d4 damage.

3.3 ESOPHAGUS
Esophagus: Long, 5’ wide tunnel between stomach and throat.
Slippery and slimy.
• Ascending. Slippery. DC 12 DEX or STR to climb.
• Monster. One zabub flies about, attacking climbers.

3.4 SPHINCTER PUZZLE
Sphincter: Tight passage between esophagus and stomach.
• Sphincter. Too tight to pass through.
• Indicator. Any time chewed food travels through the esophagus and to the sphincter, sphincter opens up to allow food through.
• Possible Solutions. Hold a ration up to the sphincter to “trick” it into opening. Grab onto a chewed mortal and ride it through.

3.5 ACID POOL
Stomach: Massive, fleshy chamber. 50’ ceiling. Acid Pool: Lake of digestive acids in middle of chamber.
• Acid. 1d6 damage per turn in acid.
• Monsters. Five partially digested humans (skeletons) crawl from the acid and attack the living.

3.6 SUNKEN CHEST
Chest: Metal chest visible at bottom of acid pool (20’ deep).
• Chest. Lead. Unlocked. Contains a Wand of Acid Arrow.

3.7 TWILL
Person: Human wearing partially-dissolved rags.
• Person. Twill Renard. Mortal who signed a contract with Archdevil
Berith (Area 3.10).
▸Servitude. Mortals indebted to Berith are forced to be eaten, digested, regenerated, and excreted by Stoor over and over.
▸Survival. Twill managed to be swallowed by Stoor without being digested. He fears Berith will find out and punish him.
▸Quest. If he finds out about the heist, Twill asks the player characters to find and destroy his contract in the Repository of
Caina (Area 9.15) so he can move on to the afterlife.
▸Knowledge. Knows the location and destination of all portals in this circle. Can’t use them himself while bound to Berith.
• Portal. Gateway leading to Area 4.1. Absorbs digestion byproducts.

3.8 SPHINCTER
Sphincter: Identical to Area 3.4.

3.9 GIZZARD STONE ELEMENTAL
Stones: Massive boulders grind against each other to further pulverize partially-digested skeletons from the acid pool. Skeletons:
Emerge from the acid pool and charge toward the stones.
• Stones. Lesser earth elemental. Serves Berith/Stoor. Enjoys its job.
▸Negotiating. Elemental is dull-witted and easy to persuade. Only speaks Primordial and Diabolic.
• Skeletons. 1d6 skeletons present at any given time.
▸Fighting. Focus attacks on the earth elemental (which is immune to their damage), but defend themselves from other attackers.

3. Stoor
Inside the digestive tract of the colossal maggot Stoor.
1
2
3
4
5
7
6
FEATURES
• Light. None, except for Area 3.1.
• Construction. Slimy, fleshy organic matter.
• Risky. Check for a random encounter every 2 crawling rounds.
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d6
Details
1
2d4 zabub hatch from eggs embedded in the walls
2
An unfortunate imp consumed by Stoor
3
1d6 polyps (rot flowers) on the walls
4
Stoor moves, pushing all creatures inside it into an adjacent area
5
Intestinal gases make torches flare up: 1d4 dmg to their holders
6
Dripping digestive juices dissolve a random piece of gear
=5 ft. =portal =acid
12
10
11
13
9
14
8
15
Stages of
Digestion
A
B
DAMAGING STOOR
If the players do something harmful to Stoor (like driving iron spikes into the walls of its esophagus or casting fireball inside its intestines), Stoor writhes in pain. Immediately roll on the
Random Encounters table, entries 4-6 only.
A. MOUTH (3.1)
Mortal is chewed by Stoor’s diamond-studded teeth.
B. 1ST STOMACH (3.5)
Acid dissolves everything but the mortal’s skeleton.
C. 2ND STOMACH (3.9)
Rocks grind the bones into dust.
D. 3RD STOMACH (3.12)
Bone dust is dissolved into ooze.
E. REGENERATION (3.14)
Ooze-waste is regenerated into living mortals.
F. ANUS (3.15)
Mortals are excreted, ready to be consumed again.
E
C
D
F
GM TIP - ALTERING CONTENT
This level of the megadungeon is, in a word, gross. If you or any of your players get uncomfortable with the disgusting imagery, it should be trivial to alter. You can change the intestinal tract into a traditional stone dungeon with pools of acid and moving floors.
You could even reimagine Stoor as some kind of mechanical beast: a robotic worm who squirms across Hell in search of fuel!

4.1 HALL OF AVARICE
Building: Marble structure. Boulders: Haggard humanoids push 5’ diameter golden boulders out of the hall. Symbol: Above entrance.
Piles of gold coins.
• Avarice. Hall for souls who hoarded wealth in life.
• Portal. Outputs golden boulders from inside of Stoor.

4.10 UPPER WEIGH STATION
Scales: As in Area 4.9. Inspector: Large, hawk-like devil.
• Weighing. All mortals must be weighed here.
▸Result. If total weight (including gear) is greater than what was stamped in Area 4.9 (or if they have no stamp), the inspector (a barbato) accuses them of stealing and attacks.

4.11 GUARD TOWER
Tower: Wood and canvas structure. 40’ tall. Guards: Four armored humanoids look out from the top.
• Tower. Lookout searching for escaped mortal souls.
• Guards. Four gomory. Sound an alarm and attack if they spot mortals leaving the paths designated for pushing boulders.

4.12 UNDERCITY
Undercity: Network of sewer passages. Denizens: Dozens of impoverished devils.
• Safe. No random encounters here.
• Revolutionaries. Six devil bandits led by a cambion named Erag.
▸Goal. Want to lead the dozens of Undercity devils in a revolt against Mammon. They just need someone to infiltrate
Mammon’s tower and open the doors for the rebels.
▸Surrendering. If revolutionaries fail a morale check in combat, they promise to stop their revolutionary plot.

4.13 MANHOLE
Manhole: Circular opening for the sewer. Covered with a lid.
• Manhole. Leads down to Area 4.14 via ladder.

4.14 SEWAGE PILE
Sewage: Pile of disgusting waste at base of ladder.
• Paper. Scrap of paper buried within the waste. It reads:
keys islands teeth floors rivers imps lamias tombs
▸Secret Meaning. Hint to the combination to Mammon’s vault
(Area 4.2). Refers to number of objects in the circles of Hell:
# 6 keys in the Six Trials (First Circle)
# 20 islands in Lilua (Second Circle)
# 16 teeth on Stoor (Third Circle)
# 50 floors in Mammon’s Tower (Fourth Circle)
# 3 rivers in the jungle (Fifth Circle)
# 33 imps in the dormitory (Sixth Circle)
# 99 lamias in Megara’s army (Seventh Circle)
# 1 tomb in the hundred tombs of Malebolge (Eighth Circle); this is tricky, as only one of the “tombs” is actually a tomb
(Area 8.77): the rest are portals
#:

4.2 THE GRAND COFFERS
Building: Windowless, concrete. Guards: Patrolled by tusked humanoids wielding spears.
• Guards. Twenty gomory total. Patrol inside and outside.
• Vault. Giant locked vault inside building.
▸Lock. Combination lock requiring eight two-digit numbers.
▸Combination. 06-20-16-50-03-33-99-01. Entering a wrong combination sounds an alarm, attracting 2d6 gomory guards.
▸Access. Four possible ways to gain access: casting prophecy through Bes (Area 2.3), learning the combination from the
Planecaster (Area 6.17), solving the encoded paper (Area 4.14), or traveling through the portal in Area 8.67.
▸Contents. One thousand gold ingots (100 gp each) and the Staff of Ord (SD 316).

4.3 ARCHDEVIL MAMMON
Building: Fifty-story golden skyscraper.
• Lower Levels. First forty-nine floors packed with thousands of imps, forced to count gold for Archdevil Mammon.
• Archdevil Mammon. Ogre-sized, pig-faced devil on fiftieth floor.
▸Paranoid. Won’t leave the tower out of fear of assassination.
▸Quest. Will bestow a permanent blessing (below) to one adventurer if they stop the revolt in the Undercity (Area 4.12).
▸Mammon’s Wealth Blessing. Roll with advantage on treasure tables for random encounters.
• Guards. Ten elite gomory (LV 5, 23 HP)

4.4 PORTALS TO FIFTH CIRCLE
Portals: Three. Labeled “STYX,” “LETHE,” and “ACHERON.” Wizards:
Three robed devils (apprentices).
• Boulders. Final destination for the golden boulders pushed uphill.
• Wizards. Transmute golden boulders into boats, which go through the portals.
• Portals. “STYX” leads to Area 5.1, “LETHE” leads to Area 5.2, and
“ACHERON” leads to Area 5.3.

4.5 HALL OF PROFLIGACY
Building: Wooden structure. Boulders: As in Area 4.1. Symbol: Above entrance. Ripped purse spilling coins.
• Profligacy. Hall for souls who spent their wealth wastefully in life.
• Portal. Outputs golden boulders from inside of Stoor.

4.6 MINT
Machinery: Melts metal, presses it into coins. Devils: 10 tiny, cat- faced humanoids oversee the operation.
• Coins. Produces 100/day. Stamped w/ Mammon’s sigil. 1 gp each.
• Devils. 10 habors. Not aggressive, just overworked and cranky.

4.7 LIM
Devil: Purple-skinned humanoid in a nondescript cloak.
• Devil. Lim, a cambion black market merchant.
▸Offer. Sells a large black pearl (Soul Gem, p. 14) containing the soul of mortal bound to serve its owner. Costs 400 gp.

4.8 HALL OF THEFT
Building: Golden structure. Mortals: As in Area 4.1. Symbol: Above entrance. Hand picking a coin from a pocket.
• Theft. Hall for souls who took wealth from others.
• Portal. Outputs gold boulders from inside of Stoor.

4.9 LOWER WEIGH STATION
Scales: Giant weighing scales. Large enough to weigh people.
Guards: Six tusked humanoids in chain armor.
• Guards. Six gomory oversee the weighing.
• Weighing. Mortals (including PCs) cannot pass without being weighed.
▸Stamp. A guard stamps each mortal with their weight (including gear).

4. Aleppe
Hilltop city where mortals endlessly push golden boulders.
1
13
11
10
2
3
9
4
6
8
7
5
=street =portal =manhole (leads to 4.14 and 4.12)
FEATURES
• Light. Above ground: bright, neon lights. Sewer: pitch black.
• Unsafe. Check for a random encounter every 3 crawling rounds.
• Distance. 1 black or white stripe on the map = 1 crawling round.
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d6 Details
1
2d4 gomory on patrol, looking for troublemakers
2
A pickpocket (thief) tries to steal from the PCs
3
An out-of-control boulder rolls downhill: DC 12 DEX or 2d6 damage
4
A gang of 2d6 thugs extort the party for 1d6 x 100 gp
5
Someone’s pet hell hound slips loose and attacks randomly
6
2d12 Undercity rebels (soldiers) clash with 2d12 gomory guards

5.4 RIVER PORTAL
Waterfall: River flows into a portal.
• Portal. Leads to Area 6.1.

5.5 ARCHDEVIL LAMASHTU
Devil: Giant, elephant-headed humanoid. Hole: Collapsed wall on southern side.
• Devil. Archdevil Lamashtu. Angered by mortals’ presence, but intrigued at how they got this far.
▸Quest. Will bestow a permanent blessing (below) to one adventurer if they kill the escaped grootslang (Area 5.9). Doesn’t mention that she created the grootslang.
▸Secretive. Won’t reveal the truth that she has secretly brought demons from the Dark Realms into Hell.
▸Lamashtu’s Mutagenic Blessing. 1/day, alter your physical form as per the alter self spell. Lasts until you use this ability again.
• Hole. Wall destroyed by the grootslang.

5.6 PAIMON’S CAGE
Cage: Giant golden bird cage. Devil: In cage. Four-winged, rainbow- feathered humanoid with a snake’s head.
• Devil. Paimon, son of Archdevil Pazuzu and Bes. Kidnapped by his
Aunt Lamashtu one year ago.
▸Drained. Weak, unable to fight. Lamashtu has been draining
Paimon’s magical energy to fuel her experiments in Area 5.7.
▸Freeing. Key to cage is in Area 5.7.

5.7 LABORATORY
Tanks: Large glass vats with creatures floating inside. Orb: 3’ wide black sphere hovering above ground. Monster: Large, four-winged vulture with humanoid limbs.
• Monster. Vrock created from Lamashtu’s failed attempt at cloning
Paimon with demonic magic. Attacks on sight. Fights until dead.
▸Mutated. Has three mutations from Shadowdark RPG p. 191.
• Tanks. Contain more randomly mutated vrocks in stasis.
• Orb. Source of demonic energy from the Dark Realms. Functions as a Sphere of Annihilation (SD 315).
• Key. Hanging on wall. Opens Paimon’s Cage in Area 5.6.

5.8 JUNGLE TRAIL
Leads to Areas 5.9 and 5.1. Roll one random encounter from the
Jungle Random Encounters table (SD 160-61) when traversing.

5.9 GROOTSLANG
Clearing: Area of flattened trees. Skeletons: Crushed bones of devils and demons scattered across the ground. Monster: Gargantuan serpent with the head and forelegs of an elephant. Mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and six tusks.
• Monster. Lamashtu’s grootslang, a hybrid creature created through her experimentation with demonic magic.
▸Rampaging. Fights until dead.

5. Styx
Brutal jungle split by rivers of mortal souls.
FEATURES
• Rivers. Violently churning water.
• Flora. Tall, tropical trees form an impenetrable canopy overhead.
• Fauna. Bizarre, alien creatures swing from the branches and swim through the rapids.
• Light. Pitch black underneath the canopy.
JUNGLE CRUISE
The party arrives in the Fifth Circle at one of three locations, 5.1, 5.2, or 5.3, depending on which portal they took in Area 4.4.
They arrive in a golden boat and float downstream toward
Lamashtu’s Palace (p. 70). Along the way, they will pass three, four, or five encounter areas, marked with X’s on the map on the facing page.
The encounters are described on pages 68-69. Play them in order, allowing for a full rest in between each encounter. Since some river routes are shorter than others, the party might be fortunate enough to skip the fourth or fifth encounters.
ALTERNATE ROUTES
The party may decide to leave the boat and travel through the jungle (for instance, along the Jungle Trail described in Area 5.8). In that case, you can use the Jungle Random Encounter table on pages
160-61 of Shadowdark RPG. Adjust the encounters as needed to give them a Hellish theme.
1
2
RIVER STYX
9
GROOTSLANG
8
JUNGLE TRAIL
=portal
=encounter (p. 68-69)
Not to scale.
Water flows from top of page to bottom.
RIVER LETHE
RIVER ACHERON
3
4-7
LAMASHTU’S PALACE (P. 70)
FIRST ENCOUNTER: AAMON AMBUSH
Sounds: Hooting and hissing from deep in the jungle. Sights:
Trees rustle overhead.
Monsters: Ravenous monkeys with serpent bodies and glowing eyes swing between the branches.
• Monsters. 2d6 aamon drop from the trees above.
▸Behavior. Half attack while the other half try to steal gear from the party.
SECOND ENCOUNTER: ROARING RAPIDS
Noise: Roaring water overpowers all other sounds. Boat: Rocks up and down, pounded by the river.
• Navigating. Party must make 3 successful DC 18 checks to pilot the boat, repair damage, or perform other useful tasks.
▸Rough Water. 1d6 damage to everyone on board at the end of each round until all checks have been passed.
THIRD ENCOUNTER: LEMURES
River: Ethereal skulls bob in the water. Mist: Eerie, warm fog emanates from the water’s surface.
• Lemures. Mist coalesces into 2d4 ghostly lemures, which encircle the boat.
▸Behavior. Focus attacks on lawful characters. If none are present, they turn to neutral characters. Won’t attack chaotic characters except in self-defense.
FOURTH ENCOUNTER: GLABREZU
Monster: Four-armed beast with two massive claws. Charges out of the jungle and leaps onto the boat.
• Monster. A glabrezu.
▸Demon. Brought here accidentally by Lamashtu’s dabbling in demonic magic.
▸Behavior. Confused by new environment. Attacks randomly.
FIFTH ENCOUNTER: PLANAR RIFT
Planar Rift: Black streak of energy tears through the space around the boat.
• Planar Rift. Demonic incursion caused by Lamashtu’s experiments with the Dark Realms.
▸Rift Stats. 20 HP, AC 8. Only damaged by magical sources. Takes double damage from holy magic.
▸Closing the Rift. Disappears after 5 rounds or when reduced to 0
HP.
▸Rift Behavior. Roll a d6 each round until rift is closed:
1. 1d4 random pieces of the party’s gear disappear.
2. A spellcaster in the party casts a random spell and automatically critically fails.
3. All lit light sources permanently disappear.
4. 1d4 angry dretches emerge from the rift.
5. A random character permanently forgets a language other than Common.
6. One character gets a permanent +2 boost to a random stat.
Lamashtu’s Palace
Tropical villa of the diabolic mutagenist Lamashtu.
RIVER STYX
4
6
7
5
=5 ft.
=door
=portal
8
TO 5.1 AND 5.9

6.1 WATERWHEEL
Portal: Deposits river water into the waterwheel. Waterwheel: Large, iron. Light: None.
• Portal. Deposits water from the River Styx (Area 5.4) to power the machines in this circle.

6.10 LIBRARY
Shelves: Stocked with books in all languages. Sound: Totally silent.
Light: None.
• Silence. Entire room enchanted with a silence spell.
• Mundane Books. Worth 5 gp each at most.
• Special Books. Function as spell scrolls. Can only be cast or learned by casters who speak the language. 100 gp each.
▸Hellion’s Guide to Housework (Diabolic). Scroll of Fabricate.
▸So You’ve Turned into a Deep One by Blugbug Glubble-Gullub
(Primordial). Scroll of Control Water.
▸The Medusa’s Guide to Skincare (Reptilian). Scroll of Stoneskin.
▸Rathgamnon’s Cookbook (Celestial). Scroll of Pillar of Salt.
▸Anatomy by Dr. A. Gon (Draconic). Scroll of Fireball.

6.11 RUST MONSTERS
Doorways: No doors. Barricaded with wooden planks. Creatures:
Four wolf-sized insects. Machines: Mostly eaten by rust. Light: None.
• Creatures. Four rust monsters summoned by Jukie and trapped in this room by Belphegor’s minions.
• Machines. Non-functional due to rust.

6.12 GOLEM LABORATORY
Golem: Lifeless iron humanoid lying on a table. Light: None.
• Golem. Inert iron golem. Circular slot in chest.
▸Soul. Lacks a soul to give it life.
▸Slot. Can fit a Soul Gem.
▸Animating. If a Soul Gem is inserted, golem comes to life with the personality of the soul in the gem.
▸Portals. Can’t travel to other planes or circles.

6.13 IMP DORMITORY
Cots: 33 tiny, ragged beds. Devils: 33 restless, monkey-sized devils with red wings. Light: Bright overhead lamps.
• Devils. Thirty-three imps. Paid employees of Belphegor.
▸Jobless. Out of work since production shut down.
▸Unpaid. No income during shutdown. Normally each earns 1 coin/day.
▸Soul Gem. A single Soul Gem was given to be shared between all
33 imps in lieu of payment for the month.
• Revolt. One imp, Gristle, speaks of revolution. He thinks that the imps can unite and take over the factory for themselves, but few believe him.
• Coins. An imp named Rosy has hoarded 51 coins under her pillow.
She is saving them to spend at the vending machine (Area 6.14).

6.14 VENDING MACHINE
Machine: Large brass cabinet with a glass viewing window, coin slot, and four buttons. Sign: Engraved with Diabolic text. Light: None.
• Items. Four items visible through viewing window, each labeled by name and price (in Diabolic).
▸Potion of Healing. 50 gp.
▸Potion of Invisibility. 100 gp.
▸Potion of Vitality. 250 gp.
▸Blue Keycard. 1000 gp.
• Currency. Machine only accepts Hell currency (see Coins, p. 36).
▸Penalty. Insert unacceptable coins: get shocked for 3d6 damage.
• Sign. Reads “DO NOT TIP” (in Diabolic).
▸Tipping. Tip or damage the machine: DC 15 DEX or crushed for
5d6 damage. Shatters all potions, but frees the keycard.

6.15 VERDELET’S OFFICE
Devil: Lion-headed humanoid with oily apron. Light: Lamp on desk.
• Devil. Marbas named Verdelet. Original holder of the red keycard.
▸Cog. Has a Kytherian Cog (SD 305) confiscated from Jukie.
▸Bonus. Advantage on d20 rolls due to his attunement to the
Kytherian Cog (unique to Verdelet).

6.16 ARCHDEVIL BELPHEGOR
Devil: Black-furred feline humanoid with glowing orange eyes. Bent over a desk covered in blueprints. Light: Lamp on desk.
• Devil. Archdevil Belphegor. Irritable because of Jukie’s sabotage.
▸Quest. Will bestow a permanent blessing (below) to one adventurer if they capture Jukie, compress him into a Soul Gem in Area 6.5, and give the gem to Belphegor.
▸Belphegor’s Knowledge Blessing. Gain one talent of your choice from your class’ talent table.
• Blueprints. Plans for some weapon of world-ending power.

6.17 PLANECASTER
Screen: Glass display framed in silver. Control Panel: Rectangular stone console. Light: Faint white glow from the screen.
• Control Panel. Two knobs and a circular slot.
▸Paper. Scrap of paper taped to the console. It reads (in Diabolic):
“NOTICE TO ALL: For the love of all that is unholy, do NOT scry on the Dark Realms until the bi-directional plano-reverberation issue has been addressed. Your souls are of no use to me once they’ve been ripped apart by void spawn.
-B”
THE PLANECASTER
Belphegor’s latest invention allows him and his servants to spy on any plane in real time.
The machine is programmed to display 80 different live feeds across eight different planes.
To operate the machine:
1. Turn the left knob to select the plane of interest (1-8).
2. Turn the right knob to select a location on that plane (1-10).
3. Insert a Soul Gem into the slot.
The Soul Gem is consumed, then a live feed of the selected location appears on the glass screen for one minute.
The possible sights are described on pages 80-81. The knobs are only labeled with numbers, so it will take guesswork or trial-and- error for the party to select a particular location.
Jukie (p. 73) has memorized the coordinates of all 80 feeds and can aid the party if he is feeling helpful.
Piece of paper with eight
06-20-16-50-03-33-99-01 garden
Buné’s empty chamber numbers written on it:
tree
Archdevil Berith (Area in a cauldron
Pazuzu’s throne (Area
(Area 1.8)
1 - Dark Realms
2 - Elemental Planes
3 - Fey Realms
4 - Hell
3.10)
2.19)
desert
Night hag brews a potion
Gnome cobbles shoes in hold hands
Dryad tends to a flower a clipboard
Pitch black
Dragon sleeps under a a workshop
PLANECASTER FEEDS
2
Endless vortex of flesh
Brass city in a scorching
1
Crackling lightning storm
Air and fire elementals surrounded by storm
Flying serpent clouds viewers DC 18 WIS or 2d6
3
Tentacled creature holds
4
Eldritch horror: all damage on a bridge
Erupting volcano
Empty belltower
Pleasant meadow scene white combs her hair
The demonic orb (Area plants
A tower stands atop a pipe under a rainbow
The Planecaster (Area into clouds
Cerbere (Area 9.14)
creature eats a bear
Shaitan (p. 86)
sheet of ice
6.17)
5.7)
an ocean
Giant beanstalk extends
Flock of sheep made of fight over a diamond
Leprechaun smokes a with glowing stars
School of colorful fish
Humanoid woman in dretches
Gargantuan flaming bird
Monstrous giraffe- eyes
Gigantic iceberg floats on surrounded by humanoid the screen and attacks
Two earth elementals
Floating islands birds
10
Pale humanoid covered in
9
Planecaster malfunctions
8
Balor stands menacingly
6
Void spawn leaps out of
5
Shard of ice speckled
7
Pile of squirming and breaks hurricane
Pitch black
Floating 20-sided brass lake
Pitch black
Cloud of purple aether harvest amber from dice
Pitch black
Mechanical miners
5 - Light Realms
6 - Material Plane
7 - Shadow Plane
8 - Temporal Plane ten tentacled eye-stalks
Pitch black
Intricate brass machinery cave walls creatures
PLANECASTER FEEDS
forges a sword
Dark castle overlooks a rehearse a hymn
Island surrounded by a around a table and roll surrounded by wings
Floating monster with
Group of humans sit
4
Winged woman plays a
2
Gold-skinned dwarf
1
Choir of cherubim
3
Glowing eye lyre gazes at the stars
Pitch black
Elf carefully balances a in a pile of gold
Pitch black
Humanoids tinker with etched with billions of viewers
Pitch black
Gigantic brass wheel gallop at impossible black-robed wizards
Pitch black
Army of mechanical halls of a citadel
Pitch black
Two robotic hounds unpaid tab
Pitch black
Blueprints for some small machines kind of machine tiny symbols set of scales soldiers speeds water
Fire dragon rolls around
Merchant waves to the temple facade
A schoolroom with ten
7
Deer graze in a meadow
Dante argues with Rex minotaur wanders the
Dangerous over an eldritch energy
White, winged lion
6
Fluffy white clouds
Blood-drenched
The Wandering
5
Fountain of crystal-clear scribed across her skin
10
Woman with symbols
8
Marble-columned
9
Black rift of dark

6.2 RAW MATERIAL
Material: Piles of infernal metal and strange substances. Light: None.
• Treasure. Diabolic amulet with one benefit and one curse (SD 291)
is mixed in with the raw material.

6.3 ASSEMBLY LINE
Workers: 20 bored mortals. Guards: Six lion-headed devils. Light:
Bright overhead lamps.
• Workers. Indentured souls.
▸Bored. Work has halted, but unable to leave.
• Guards. Six marbas overseers. Assume PCs are assembly workers.

6.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE
Devil: Horned ogre with leathery wings. Large magnifying lenses on each eye. Lever: Beside conveyor belt. Light: Lamp next to devil.
• Devil. Crokel the horned devil. Original holder of the yellow keycard. Inspects assembled weapons for defects.
▸Magnifying Lenses. ADV on attacks against targets in close.
Attackers further than close have ADV against Crokel.
• Treasure. Lenses are worth 200 gp.
• Lever. Diverts conveyor belt toward either Area 6.7 or Area 6.9.

6.5 SOUL FOUNDRY
Foundry: Coffin-sized chamber with a small glass viewing window.
Levers: Two. Beside chamber. Person: Scared human in chamber.
Basket: Compartment next to foundry chamber. Light: None.
• Foundry. Device to transform mortal souls into Soul Gems.
▸Operation. Put a mortal soul or living creature inside the chamber and pull the left lever. Their soul is compressed into a
Soul Gem and dispensed into the basket.
▸Release. Pull the right lever to open the chamber.
• Person. Branven Sudoz, mortal trapped in the chamber by Jukie.
▸Allegiance. Sympathetic to Belphegor. Wants to stop Jukie.
• Basket. Contains three Soul Gems that haven’t been retrieved yet.

6.6 COMBUSTION CHAMBER
Warning Sign: Beside door. Door: Heavy, metal. Light: None.
• Warning Sign. In Diabolic: “COMBUSTION CHAMBER - DO NOT
ENTER WHILE OPERATIONAL UNLESS IMMUNE TO FIRE!”
• Combustion Chamber. Engine used to supply additional power to the circle’s machinery. Currently inactive while work is halted.
▸Smell. Inside of chamber smells like lantern fuel.
▸Combustion. Chamber is not actively combusting, but aerosolized fuel lingers in the air. Open flames brought into the chamber explode, dealing 4d6 damage to everyone in near.
▸Spark Plug. In center of room. Copper rod insulated with ceramic. Functions as a Wand of Lightning Bolt if removed.

6.7 RECYCLING CENTER
Scraps: Tiny bits of infernal metal piled around the room. Monster:
Three-legged beast with barbed tentacles. Light: None.
• Monster. Specially bred, metal-eating otyugh. Chews defective machines into small pieces so they can be recycled.
▸Hungry. Focuses attacks on creatures in metal armor.
• Keycard. Otyugh ate the yellow keycard. Vomits it up if slain.

6.8 COOLING TANK
Tank: Metal-walled, cylindrical room full of water. Devils: Two bluish- white crystalline fiends skate across the water’s surface. Light: None.
• Water. 10’ deep. Nearly ice cold.
• Devils. Two stygs, on loan from the Ninth Circle.
▸Purpose. Chill the water in this room, which is pumped through the factory’s machines to cool them.
▸Behavior. Attack warm-blooded intruders on sight.

6.9 SHIPPING BAY
Conveyer Belt: End of assembly line leads into a portal. Portal:
Currently inactive. Slots: Two 3” wide slots beside the portal. Light:
Bright overhead lamps.
• Portal. Leads to Seventh Circle. Activated by inserting a keycard in each slot. Card colors determine the destination of the portal.
▸Red + Blue = Purple Portal. Leads to Lamia Camp (Area 7.41).
▸Blue + Yellow = Green Portal. Leads to Mortal Camp (Area 7.47).
▸Yellow + Red = Orange Portal. Leads to Erinyes Camp (Area 7.93).

6. Tartarus
Diabolic factory where mortal souls construct sinister machines.
1
2
4
3
7
8
6
=10 ft. =door =portal =conveyor =tunnel =barricade
OPERATIONS
A conveyor belt runs through the factory. It takes material from Area
6.2 to the workshop in Area 6.3, where mortal servants assemble it into weapons. The weapons are inspected by the devil Crokel in
Area 6.4. Defective products go to the recycling center (Area 6.7).
Approved products go to the shipping bay (Area 6.9).
The shipping bay directs weapons to one of the three armies in the
Seventh Circle via a portal. The portal’s destination is selected by inserting two colored keycards into a console.
The secret tunnels are nearly impossible to notice. Jukie (p. 73)
knows all of them and uses them to evade capture.
12
13
14
15
11
16
17
9
10
5
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d6 Details (3-6: reroll if defeated)
1
1d4 habors and 1d4 xaphans
2
1d4 rust monsters
3
Morax (p. 74)
4-6 Jukie (p. 73)
CONFLICT BACKSTORY
The entire Sixth Circle is in crisis, and it has one goblin to blame.
Jukie was a brilliant goblin engineer and follower of Kytheros, Lord of Time. Kytheros entrusted Jukie with one of his Kytherian Cogs.
Archdevil Belphegor took notice of Jukie and made an offer: he would give Jukie a workshop and all the resources he needed to build his designs. In return Jukie would forsake his deity and pledge service to Belphegor. Blinded by ambition, Jukie signed the contract and got to work. Before his first invention could roll out the door, Jukie died in a workshop accident (likely Belphegor’s doing). He was now bound to work in Belphegor’s factory for 1,000 years.
Jukie was assigned to work under the devil Verdelet. Verdelet confiscated Jukie’s Kytherian Cog and spent the next 1,000 years tormenting his new goblin plaything.
JUKIE (RANDOM ENCOUNTER)
Jukie’s servitude officially ended last month. Rather than move on, he has chosen to stay in Hell and sabotage Belphegor’s operation.
• Sabotage. Jukie has caused the entire factory to halt operations.
▸Keycards. Stole the three keycards required to open portals to the Seventh Circle (Area 6.9). Fed the yellow keycard to the otyugh (Area 6.7), hid the blue keycard in the vending machine
(Area 6.14), and kept the red keycard for himself.
▸Rust Monsters. Released a pack of rust monsters.
▸Branven. Trapped a rival mortal named Branven in Area 6.5.
• Encountering. Jukie (mage, AL N) currently sneaks through the corridors and tunnels of the factory. Can only be found via random encounter. Flees if threatened, utilizing the tunnels when possible.
▸Quest. Will give the red keycard to anyone who gets his
Kytherian Cog back from Verdelet (Area 6.15).
▸Information. Knows every detail of the factory and its machines.
Will trade information for help with his quest.
MORAX (RANDOM ENCOUNTER)
Bull-headed devil (minotaur, fire immune) security guard. Original holder of the blue keycard. Searches the factory for Jukie (or other mortal troublemakers).

7.15. LIZARDFOLK OASIS
Long ago, a group of lizardfolk souls, uncomfortable in the dry desert, abandoned the mortal army (Area 7.47) and found refuge in this lush oasis. Twelve lizardfolk currently reside here, although they fear they could be displaced by the war any day.

7.24. ENGINE GRAVEYARD
Gargantuan carcasses of forgotten war machines lie half- buried in the desert. One of the broken machines contains a still-functional Soul Gem in its heart. The gem can be carefully removed with a successful DC 15 check. The most intact engine, a four-legged metallic dinosaur, can be reanimated by inserting a Soul Gem into its heart. The machine awakens with the stats of the tarrasque (SD 256) and the personality of the Soul Gem.
It runs out of energy after 1d4 attacks.

7.32. CRATER
Mile-wide crater surrounded by green, glasslike crystals. Result of an apocalyptic bomb’s detonation over a century ago.
Radiation from the high-tech ordnance still lingers, dealing
1d4 CON damage per day (death at 0) to living creatures in this hex and surrounding hexes.
Characters can’t receive the benefits of a rest (including removal of stat damage) while exposed to radiation. The unique crystals from this area are worth 100 gp per gear slot, but they irradiate their holders while carried.

7.41. LAMIA CAMP
Base for the army of 99 lamias:
half-humanoid, half-lion devils.
They are led by the Archdevil
Megara (p. 84). 2:6 chance
Megara is present here. The lamias are currently recovering from a series of embarrassing losses to the erinyes. They will welcome the party with open arms should they offer to aid in the conflict.

7.43. ZOMBIE TOWN
Ruined village with 150 mutated zombies. These undead were mortal victims of the bomb detonated in Area 7.32. Since their reanimation was biological rather than magical, they are not vulnerable to holy magic like turn undead or cleansing weapon. They have average intelligence (INT +0), speak
Common, and are not immune to morale checks. The undead’s leader Gage wants Megara to terminate their contracts and free their souls, since they are technically no longer mortals and therefore not beholden to diabolic contract law. He offers a Scarab of Protection (SD 314)
to anyone who successfully argues his case.

7.47. MORTAL CAMP
Base for the army of mortal soldiers, who are forced to fight and die in an endless war only to be resurrected each day. The
250 mortals here follow
Archdevil Megara’s orders (p.
84). 2:6 chance Megara is present here. Recently, a mortal named Jed (Area 7.63) was captured by the erinyes. Since
Jed was a lousy soldier, the mortals don’t much care, but
Megara has ordered the entire army to focus on finding Jed.

7.54. WAR PROFITEERS
Camp of 10 mortals (bandits)
not bound by any diabolic contract. They stay in Darvaza to make a profit, selling supplies to all sides of the conflict at a 100% markup. In addition to common weapons, armor, and gear, they sell camels* (100 gp each), a
Cloak of Elvenkind (400 gp, SD
302), and a Potion of Legendary
Deeds (1,000 gp, SD 311). They accept gold from both Hell and the Material Plane.
*You can incorporate the mount rules from pages 28-29 of
Cursed Scroll 2, or you can just say that a mount doubles its rider’s overland travel speed.

7.63. JED’S CAVE
The mortal Jed (mage) hides in a cave to avoid the erinyes and mortals ordered to kill him.
After escaping the erinyes, Jed learned Megara’s secret: that she is the general of all three armies. If Jed manages to find a sympathetic ear, he can reveal the truth and end the entire war
— and possibly Megara’s reign as archdevil.

7.86. DRAGON’S CAVE
Home to a desert dragon. 3:6 chance it is present. Contains a random item from the Treasure
10+ table (SD 277).

7.93. ERINYES CAMP
Base for the erinyes army. The
30 winged devils follow
Archdevil Megara (2:6 chance she is present). They are currently winning against the other two armies, having driven back the lamias (Area 7.41) and captured many mortals (Area
7.47). Since the mortal prisoner
Jed (Area 7.63) escaped, Megara has forced the erinyes to abandon their offensive and instead search for the runaway.
Their orders are to kill him on sight and not believe anything he says.
SHAITAN
An elusive, three-horned devil named Shaitan dwells somewhere in Darvaza. His motives and methods are unclear, but the discoverers of
The Inferno learned he holds the only way for mortals to get to the Eighth Circle. Unlike other devils, he doesn’t ask for souls.
His price is one additional random curse (p. 27) which will persist with a mortal even if all other diabolic contracts are voided. Once an adventurer has agreed to bear this curse, Shaitan will give them his ring:
SHAITAN’S RING
Plane-shifting ring of the mysterious devil Shaitan.
Benefit. The wearer can transport themselves and any willing, living mortals within near to any portal within the first eight circles of Hell. This grants access to the Eighth
Circle and removes the need for encounter checks when fast traveling (p. 37).
“He is not a mere devil. He is the boogeyman whom devils warn their children against.”
— Dante’s description of Shaitan

7. Darvaza
War-torn desert in the eye of a sandstorm.
CONFLICT
Darvaza is in the middle of a three-way war between the lamias
(Area 7.41), the erinyes (Area 7.93), and the mortal souls (Area 7.47).
EXPLORATION
Treat Darvaza as a hex crawl (rules on page 90 of Shadowdark RPG).
• Risky. Check for a random encounter every 2 in-game hours.
• Light. Constant, bright sunlight.
• Rations. DC 18 to forage.
• Weather. If you own Cursed Scroll 2, you can implement the special desert-travel rules from page 32 of that zine.
• Sandstorm. Perimeter of the map is an impenetrable sandstorm.
FINDING SHAITAN
From background knowledge (p. 34), the party understands that their goal is to locate Shaitan (p. 86), who can help mortals reach the
Eighth Circle. Shaitan is in a random hex (determined before the party arrives). To narrow down Shaitan’s location, the adventurers must ask the NPCs they encounter in Darvaza. During each social encounter, a helpful NPC can share one of the following:
SHAITAN HINTS
d8
Hint
1-3 Longitude. “Shaitan is [west/east] of here (reroll if same longitude).”
4-6 Latitude. “Shaitan is [north/south] of here (reroll if same latitude).”
7
Landmark. “Shaitan is closest to [landmark].”
8
Unknown. “I don’t know where Shaitan is.”
41
32
43
24
15
47
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d20 Details d20 Details
1
1 lamia
11
Fierce sandstorm
2
1d4 lamias
12
Flash flood
3
1 erinyes
13
1 vual
4
2 erinyes
14
1d4 giant scorpions
5
1d6 mortal soldiers
15
2d6 cacti w/ fruit and water
6
2d6 mortal soldiers
16
1d6 lost imps
7
1d4 lizardfolk from Area 7.15
17
Jed from Area 7.63
8
1d20 wild nightmares
18
Desert dragon from Area 7.86
9
1d4 oray
19
Archdevil Megara (p. 84)
10
1d10 zombies from Area 7.43
20
Combine 2 random encounters
63
93
54
= portal
= radiation
= 6 miles
MEGARA
The infernal centaur Megara perpetuates the war, leading all three armies against each other.
Her goal is to keep Hell’s lamias and erinyes fighting to thin the weak from their ranks, and also to harm as many mortals as possible in the crossfire.
Megara splits her time evenly between the three armies, who have no idea of her scheme.
One mortal, a wizard named Jed
(Area 7.63), learned Megara’s secret and now seeks to expose it. Megara will offer her blessing
(below) to one adventurer who finds and kills Jed before he can ruin her rule.
Megara’s Deadeye Blessing. You have advantage on ranged attacks against targets that aren’t within close of another creature.

8.0 ENTRANCE PORTAL
Portal: Freestanding magic portal.
• Portal. Entrance to the Eighth Circle. Reachable with Shaitan’s
Ring (p. 86)
PORTAL DESTINATIONS 8.1-8.34
Tomb
Details
8.1
Four duergar try to take the PCs prisoner
8.2
Roll an Arctic Random Encounter (SD 142-43)
8.3
Inside a 30’ wide glass jar with three gray oozes
8.4
Roll a Ruins Random Encounter (SD 172-73)
8.5
The dining room of a vampire count, who invites the PCs to a meal
8.6
Roll a Jungle Random Encounter (SD 160-61)
8.7
The nest of a murmuur, whose eggs are starting to hatch
8.8
Roll an Artisan District Random Encounter (SD 144-45)
8.9
A medusa accuses a gorgon of stealing her name
8.10
An oracle reveals the identity of five random tombs
8.11
The lamia camp (Area 7.41)
8.12*
Portal to Area 9.1
8.13
An alchemist’s lab, where she brews a Random Potion (SD 286-87)
8.14
A brain eater tries to capture the PCs for experimentation
8.15
Roll a Grassland Random Encounter (SD 156-57)
8.16
Two pirates dig up a Random Treasure 4-6 (SD 272-73) on a beach
8.17
A dwarf blacksmith forges a Random Armor (SD 284-85)
8.18
Verdelet’s office (Area 6.15)
8.19
A tavern basement filled with 20 rats
8.20
The Wandering Merchant hikes through the wilderness
8.21
Roll a High District Random Encounter (SD 158-59)
8.22
A drab office building on Earth in the 1970s
8.23
Roll a River and Coast Random Encounter (SD 170-71)
8.24
A gingerbread house owned by a weald hag
8.25
A casino where the PCs will win 200 gp if they roll a 7 on 2d6
8.26
A queen bequeaths a Random Weapon (SD 292-93) to the party
8.27
The door is held shut on the other side by an Immovable Rod
8.28
Roll a Low District Random Encounter (SD 162-63)
8.29
A forgotten mine shaft houses a wraith
8.30
A domini with a War Horn of the Angels suspects the PCs are devils
8.31*
Portal to Area 9.1
8.32
A tranquil grove tended to by druids
8.33
A pottery shop of precariously placed vases run by a clay golem
8.34
The deck of a pirate ship caught in a massive storm
*Party is not ejected after traveling to Ninth Circle
PORTAL DESTINATIONS 8.35-8.68
Tomb
Details
8.35
Roll a Forest Random Encounter (SD 154-55)
8.36
Roll a University District Random Encounter
8.37
A labyrinth containing a hopelessly lost minotaur
8.38
A chamber where illusions of the PCs are tortured by Verrine
8.39*
Portal to Area 9.1
8.40
The Hall of Profligacy (Area 4.5)
8.41
A leprechaun offers to share puffs from his Pipe of the Rolling Hills
8.42
A talking lion has a thorn stuck in its paw
8.43
12 kobolds argue over who has the most colorful scales
8.44
Roll an Ocean Random Encounter (SD 168-69)
8.45
Four lesser elementals, one of each type, stare each other down
8.46
A pleasant gazebo in a quiet park
8.47
A pleasant gazebo in a quiet park; it’s actually a LV 8 mimic (37 HP)
8.48
Court of a merfolk king who wields a Trident of the Seas (SD 319)
8.49
A sphinx asks bizarre riddles that have no answers
8.50
A nightmare that turns into an Onyx Destrier when defeated
8.51
A repeat of whichever tomb the party went to last
8.52
Archdevil Berith’s lair (Area 3.10)
8.53
A magical fountain which heals all wounds
8.54
A river boat gets attacked by a hippopotamus
8.55*
Portal to Area 9.1
8.56
The court of Archfey Titania
8.57
Inside a bee hive with five bees (giant wasps)
8.58
Roll a Slums Random Encounter (SD 174-75)
8.59
Inside a djinni’s lamp
8.60
A kitchen infested with three giant centipedes
8.61
Roll a Cave Random Encounter (SD 148-49)
8.62
A sword in a stone (+2 longsword)
8.63
A raging party: roll a carousing check (no bonuses) right now!
8.64
A frozen, subterranean vault with an angry shambling mound
8.65
Dante’s Inn (p. 38)
8.66
A crazy mathematician who thinks there’s a pattern to the tombs
8.67
Inside of Mammon’s Coffers Vault (Area 4.2)
8.68
Roll a Market Random Encounter (SD 164-65)
*Party is not ejected after traveling to Ninth Circle
PORTAL DESTINATIONS 8.69-8.100
Tomb
Details
8.69
Crushing walls will close in on the PCs in 5 rounds unless stopped!
8.70
A watermelon-eating contest; first prize is a watermelon
8.71
Roll a Swamp Random Encounter (SD 176-77)
8.72
Carnival game: awards a stuffed owlbear for hitting a target (AC 18)
8.73
A spaceship piloted by six little gray aliens (goblins)
8.74
Roll a Castle Random Encounter (SD 146-47)
8.75
Roll a Deep Tunnels Random Encounter (SD 150-51)
8.76
An iron golem gardener tends to its flowers
8.77
This door isn’t a portal: it leads down stairs to an actual tomb, where a humanoid skeleton is interred in a coffin
8.78
A troll guards a bridge and demands a toll to cross it
8.79*
Portal to Area 9.1
8.80
The Temporal Plane: each round, get 1d6 years older or younger
8.81
Five buers roll down a steep hill
8.82
A ruined medieval city swarming with zombies
8.83
A dark cave inhabited by a strobing primordial slime
8.84
Roll a Mountain Random Encounter (SD 166-67)
8.85
A fire dragon’s lair
8.86
Roll a Temple District Random Encounter (SD 180-81)
8.87
Roll a Tavern Random Encounter (SD 178-79)
8.88
A treetop village full of talking monkeys
8.89
Archdevil Verrine himself gives the PCs a Bag of Devouring
8.90
An archmage named Blevard offers a Random Wand (SD 288-89)
8.91
Eight homo erectus (beastmen) discover fire
8.92
A gnome inventor creates a Random Utility item (SD 290-91)
8.93
In Victorian London, 3 bobbies (guards) search for Jack the Ripper
8.94
A cave containing four stingbats
8.95
The vortex portal (Area 2.10)
8.96
A mansion haunted by a ghost
8.97
Roll a Desert Random Encounter (SD 152-53)
8.98
A dead horned devil is devoured by six zabub
8.99
Geryon, a diabolic dragon who serves Verrine; Geryon will pursue the PCs back to Malebolge if they are ejected
8.100
An empty room with a single leaky faucet on the wall
*Party is not ejected after traveling to Ninth Circle

8. Malebolge
Hillside dotted with one hundred freestanding mausoleums.
TOMBS
Each of the one hundred mausoleums has an unlocked door which functions as a portal to another world. Once a door is opened, all mortals in the Eighth Circle (i.e. the entire party) are transported to the portal’s destination for 2d6 rounds. These could be combat rounds or crawling rounds. After that duration, the PCs are ejected back to the Eighth Circle. Five of the portals (8.12, 8.31, 8.39, 8.55, and
8.79) lead to the Ninth Circle and don’t eject the party.
Award at least 1 XP to the party for each portal they visit, offering more if they obtain a permanent magic item.
GM TIPS - MANAGING RANDOMNESS
The descriptions of each area in this circle are intentionally brief and vague. This is meant to be a rapid-fire tour through the multiverse in the hopes of randomly landing on the right portal.
If you find this whole concept overwhelming, you can pick just nineteen entries and prepare them ahead of time. Each time a character opens a door, they open one of the prepared entries.
The twentieth door they open is a door to Area 9.1.

9.1 SNOWY CAVE
Cave: Small, covered in icicles. Devil: The three-horned devil Shaitan whom the party met in the Seventh Circle.
• Shaitan. The devil Shaitan (p. 86) waits here.
▸Help. Tells the PCs to come back to him once they’ve gotten their contracts and are ready to leave the Ninth Circle.
▸Portal. Once the PCs return after finishing their quest, Shaitan will transport them back to the Material Plane (See Finale, p. 101)
⋆Clue. Shaitan hands over one scrap of paper (part of the handout on page 94).
D
F
C
B
CAINA
E
A
DOCK
A letter to my predecessors, Astaroth, you were lucky to be assassinated during
Baphomet’s funeral. They didn’t even need to move your corpse far!
Baphomet, I apologize. Being immortal usually spares us the pain of watching our elders die, but it couldn’t stop you from witnessing Eligos’ death by my blade.
Cerbere, my pet. Your case was unique. I made sure your fall occurred far from the deaths of
Astaroth, Baphomet, Eligos, and Focalor.
Deimos, you had a good run, all things considered.
You even managed to outlive your son Eligos.
Eligos, my best “friend.” You should feel honored I chose to kill you first.
Focalor, you always were the “middle child.” I took care to ensure you died between your brothers
Astaroth and Deimos.
Forever your “loyal” disciple, Malphas, Supreme Archdevil

9.10 PORTRAITS
Crates: Eight. Flat and rectangular.
• Crates. Contain portraits of each archdevil other than Malphas.
▸Magic. Faces in the portraits move and look around, as if alive.
▸Value. 1,000 gp each, or 2,000 gp if sold to Astal (p. 39).

9.11 STATUES
Crates: Twelve. 8’ tall. Nailed shut. Standing upright.
• Crates. Contain lifelike statues of famous rulers and heroes.
▸Facial Expressions. Wide-eyed terror.
• Medusa. 1:6 chance the medusa who petrified the humanoids is here. If not, cumulative 1:6 chance per round she returns.

9.12 LICH
Undead: Icy skeleton frozen to a bony throne.
• Undead. Dolgrethann, ancient lich and friend of Malphas. Guards
The Necronomicon (Area 9.13) from the eyes of the living.
▸Immobile. Frozen to his throne due to millennia of inactivity.
Can’t move or attack, but can still talk and cast spells.

9.13 NECRONOMICON
Floor: Sticky with old blood. Book: Flesh-covered tome suspended by chains and hooks. Smell: Rotten, metallic.
• Book. The Necronomicon, the forbidden Book of the Dead.
Written in an unknown language and bound in human skin.
▸Benefit. 1/day, summon 1d6 wights within near. They obey you for 10 rounds, then melt into puddles of blood.
▸Curse. If you roll a 1 on the d6 roll, DC 18 CHA check or transform into a lich devoted to the destruction of all life. The
Necronomicon becomes your spirit vessel, and your skin becomes its new binding.
• Spirit Vessel. Destroying The Necronomicon removes
Dolgrethann’s (Area 9.12) immortality.

9.14 CERBERE
Devil: Colossal, three-headed dog. Collars: Icy, metal bands around each of the three necks.
• Devil. Cerbere, former Archdevil of the Ninth Circle. Malnourished.
▸Enslaved. Compelled to kill any who approach Area 9.15.
• Collars. Force Cerbere to serve Malphas.
▸Indestructible. Can’t be destroyed by ordinary means.
▸Locks. Three. Unlocked by key found in Area 9.4.
▸Pacifying. Removing a collar will free that head, making it friendly to the party (Cerbere loses one of his bite attacks). If all three heads are freed, Cerbere will ally with his saviors.
MALPHAS’ OFFER
After Cerbere is bypassed, defeated, or negotiated with, Malphas finally understands the threat the PCs pose to the laws of Hell. He appears before the party and makes them one last offer:
• Offer. If a PC kills one of their fellow party members, Malphas will hand over the killer’s contract and return them to the Material
Plane without issue. The slain PC can’t be resurrected.
• Double-Cross. 3:6 chance Malphas doesn’t honor the deal.
• Refusal. Even if the PCs refuse the offer at first, Malphas leaves the option open. He doesn’t harm the party unless they succeed in stealing their contracts from Area 9.15, at which point he unleashes all of Hell’s armies on them (see p. 101).

9.15 REPOSITORY
File Cabinets: Thousands. Stacked precariously on each other.
• File Cabinets. Contain all diabolic contracts.
▸Organization. No familiar sorting system.
▸Searching. DC 18 INT to find a particular contract (keep checking for random encounters while PCs search).
• Contracts. Voided if destroyed or removed from this room:
contractee’s benefits and curses immediately end.
ESCAPE!
Now that their contracts have been voided, the party must escape to the snowy cave (Area 9.1), where Shaitan awaits with a portal back to the Material Plane.
ARMIES OF HELL
Malphas is done making deals. He unleashes devils from the other eight circles to stop the PCs. Play out the following encounters one after another on the way to Shaitan:
ENCOUNTERS
Circle Details
Circle Details
1
1d6 buers
5
1d6 aamon
2
1d6 cayms
6
1d4 marbas
3
1d6 zabub
7
1 lamia, 1 erinyes, and 1 knight
4
1d4 gomory
8
Geryon (if not defeated)
UNLIKELY ALLIES
By this point, some of the archdevils may have taken a liking to the player characters. If the party completed an archdevil’s quest (or otherwise befriended them), the monsters from that circle help the player characters instead of fighting them.
FINALE
True to his word, Shaitan transports the player characters back to
Dante’s Inn, safe and sound — and free of their contracts.
The party’s outwitting of Malphas will no doubt be a major blow to his authority. It might even make him vulnerable to a coup by someone like Belphegor… but only time will tell.
The player characters’ fates are now their own, just in time for the next adventure!

9.2 DOCK
Dock: Wooden walkway atop frozen lake. Sign: Displays a map.
• Sign. In Diabolic: “CAUTION: THIN ICE! Proceed according to the order of Malphas’ ascension.”
• Map. Shows the lake with the six monuments labeled (see p. 93).
⋆Clue. Scrap of paper pinned to the sign.

9.3 FROZEN CORPSE
Corpse: Half-buried in the snow.
• Corpse. Dead mortal who failed to steal their contract back. Wears one of Shaitan’s Rings (p. 86).
⋆Clue. Scrap of paper clutched in the mortal’s hand.

9.4 SLED DOGS
Dogs: Four ferocious, black hounds. Sled: Four dog-sized harnesses.
• Dogs. Four hell hounds wearing icy, metal collars.
▸Collars. Locked. Magically force hounds to obey Malphas.
▸Guarding. Attack intruders unless collars are removed.
• Sled. Carries one humanoid when pulled by four hounds.
▸Key. On sled’s dashboard. Unlocks dogs’ collars.
⋆Clue. Wet scrap of paper stuck to side of sled.

9.5 BUNGALOWS
Buildings: Three cozy log cabins. Firewood: Pile next to each cabin.
• Visitor. One cabin accommodates a random archdevil (p. 8-16).
⋆Clue. Scrap of paper mixed in with the firewood.

9.6 HUNTING LODGE
Building: Quaint cabin. Taxidermy: Demon heads mounted on walls.
• Equipment. Cabinet contains rations (9), oil (3 flasks), rope (60’), a lantern, a +1 longbow, and +1 leather armor.
⋆Clue. Scrap of paper stuck on a mounted head’s horn.
Repository of Caina
Hell’s archive of priceless artifacts and diabolic contracts.
FEATURES
• Light. Pitch black.
• Construction. Bricks of volcanic rock.
▸Hallways. 10’ wide, 10’ ceiling.
▸Rooms. 50’ ceiling.
▸Repository (Area 9.15). 250’ ceiling.
• Extreme Cold. As outside, except for Area 9.8.
SECURITY
• Danger Level. Starts safe (no encounters). After each keyed room the player characters complete, the Repository becomes one step more dangerous:
▸Safe. No random encounters.
▸Unsafe. Check for random encounter every 3 rounds.
▸Risky. Check for random encounter every 2 rounds.
▸Deadly. Check for random encounter every round.
• Random Encounters. Minions summoned by Malphas to hinder the party. Each monster vanishes in smoke when it dies or flees, dropping no treasure.
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d12 Details d12 Details d12 Details
1
1d4 giant crabs
5
1 flesh golem
9
1 evil unicorn
2
1d4 pterodactyls
6
1 manticore
10
1d4 vampire spawn
3
1 hill giant
7
1d4 sahuagin
11
1d6 dire wolves
4
1d6 goblins
8
1 frost troll
12
2d4 zombies
ENTRANCE
7
11
9
10
30 ft.
=door
“I would sooner kiss an irate octopus /
Than try to plunder the archives in Cocytus”
— Izzy Feychild, “Ballad of Hell Heist” (VERY early draft)
12
8
13
15
14

9.7 DRAWING ROOM
Band: Six cambions standing on a stage, playing instruments. Noise:
Ear-splitting, discordant music.
• Band. Former servants of Malphas’ predecessors. Forced to play out-of-tune instruments non-stop for all eternity.
▸Interacting. Unable to stop playing, even to defend themselves.
• Treasure. One plays a set of Pipes of the Sewers (SD 309). Always out of tune, but otherwise behaves as normal.

9.8 TROPHY ROOM
Trophies: Heads on wall. Furniture: Plush, comfortable. Display Case:
Empty glass box. Fireplace: Roaring green fire illuminates the room.
• Trophies. Eight labeled plaques. From left to right:
▸Eligos. Serpent head. Tongue cut out.
▸Baphomet. Goat head. Eyes stabbed with its own horns.
▸Astaroth. Human head. Top of skull removed, exposing brains.
▸Focalor. Bearded human head. Skin pale and water-logged.
▸Deimos. Hyena head. Frozen in an expression of anguish.
▸Cerbere. Three large, empty plaques.
• Display Case. Sized to fit humanoid heads. Plaques labeled with the player characters’ names.
• Fireplace. Especially warm. Resting here can heal CON damage.

9.9 WALK-IN FREEZER
Icy: Walls and floors slick with ice. Devils: Four humanoids made of ice. Meat: Frozen slabs hang on metal hooks.
• Icy. DC 12 DEX to move or else slip and fall prone.
• Devils. Four stygs. Freeze and preserve rare meats from throughout the multiverse. Attack intruders on sight.
• Meat. Aboleth (tough, rubbery), forest dragon (chewy, acidic)
kraken (slimy, fishy), void spawn (translucent, gooey), purple worm
(crunchy, bitter), remorhaz (hard, spicy), and unicorn (tender, sweet).

9. Cocytus
Frozen lake in a snowy tundra at the bottom of Hell.
D
5
B
4
E
A
2
3
FEATURES
• Light. Soft moonlight outdoors.
• Extreme Cold. During every rest, DC 15 CON or 1d4 CON damage.
Death at 0 CON. CON damage doesn’t heal while in the Ninth
Circle.
• Unsafe. Check for a random encounter every 3 crawling rounds.
• Trapped. Malphas prevents Shaitan’s Ring (p. 86) from working, trapping the PCs here until they complete their quest.
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d6 Details d6 Details
1
1d4 bachim
4
1d4 imps
2
1d4 stygs
5
1d6 lemures
3
A dantalion disguised as a friendly NPC.
6
The visiting archdevil from Area
9.5.
6
F
C
CAINA
1
= 1 crawling round
= monument
= ice
= 1 crawling round
= monument
= ice
THIN ICE PUZZLE
Most of Cocytus’ ice is too thin to walk across. There is only one safe path, which starts at the dock (Area 9.2), goes past each monument, and finishes at the Repository of Caina.
The correct order of the monuments is:
1. Eligos, Lord of Serpents (E)
2. Baphomet, the Black (B)
3. Astaroth of the Iron Crown (A)
4. Focalor, Captain of the Damned (F)
5. Deimos, the Frightener (D)
6. Cerbere, Hound of Hades (C)
This is the sequence in which Malphas’ predecessors were eliminated. To figure out the order, the PCs will have to assemble the six pieces of Malphas’ letter (p. 94).
Print out Malphas’ letter and cut it along the dotted lines. In each of Areas 9.1 - 9.6, the PCs can find a random fragment of the letter. When those six are combined, the PCs will have all the clues necessary to determine the proper order of the six archdevil monuments.
If a character tries to walk across the lake in the wrong order, they fall through the ice, taking 1d4 CON damage.