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Throne of the Devourer | 6th-level Heliana's Monster Hunts
🕑 Added 2023-02-04 19:58:14 +0000 UTCHey, everyone!
Today we have the 4th installment of the Motes of the Divine series that I have been writing for Heliana's Monster Hunts! As a reminder, these are multi-level adventures and the version I can share with all of you includes everything you need to play at 6th level. To get the the entire adventure with the additional monster stat blocks, spells, and magic items, head over to Loot Tavern!
Hope you all enjoy and are having a great weekend so far!
~ TJ Phoenix
THRONE OF THE DEVOURER
Introduction
Throne of the Devourer is a hunt optimised for four characters with an average party level (APL) of 6, 11, or 16. Characters who complete this hunt should earn enough experience to progress one-quarter of the way to 7th level, or one-half of the way to 12th or 17th level. A raging supernatural war has turned a pristine island into a charred nightmare landscape. Its once-tranquil rivers now run red with demon blood, and the skies are ablaze with the fires of a heavenly host—both armies determined to bring down a deranged king with a taste for celestial flesh.
The characters travel to the island nation of Shai’taryn in an attempt to end a demonic siege. While travelling through the horrors of the destroyed kingdom, the party learns that the king feeds on the flesh of celestial beings in a bid for power to save his kingdom. The characters must fight through a scattering of demons to enter the citadel and then face off against the corrupted creature the monarch has become.
Background
The paradise island of Shai’taryn has known peace and prosperity for generations under the gentle guidance of King Celarian the Benevolent and Queen Lysta the Wise. The kingdom was renowned for its spirituality and refusal to engage in the near-constant wars of neighbouring kingdoms. This policy of neutrality succored the Shai’tan, as its people are known; they were respected and left alone to their divine pursuits.
Vizier Farouz Ali, the king’s chief advisor, coveted the divine power of the celestial beings the Shai’tan venerated and devised a scheme to obtain it for himself. For the first step in his plan, the vizier descended to the chasm that surrounded Dor’alon, the island’s citadel, and opened a rift to the Abyss. From their realm of chaos and horror, the demons poured, and soon the island burned.
Alone due to their neutrality, no military ally deigned to help, and no angels answered the prayers of the Shai’taryn people. So desperate was King Celarian that he allowed Farouz to implement a drastic and heretical scheme, the second part of his treasonous plot. In a lofty tower of the citadel of Dor’alon, the king and the vizier summoned an angel, trapped it in a magical binding, and sequestered its divine spark in a flawless ruby.
The vizier transfused a fraction of this celestial power into the king and, in a blaze of radiant energy, Celarian sallied out of the nation’s redoubt, tearing through the demonic hordes with his bare hands. As the tide of the war turned, the surviving refugees flocked to the citadel’s spacious halls and caves, and the king created many wards repelling those of a fiendish nature. Seeing the power held in the blood-red gemstone, the traitorous vizier fled, taking with him the divine spark. Before long, the king’s power faltered, and the demons surged with renewed bloodlust, sundering the wards and cracking the walls.
With no alternative, the king mobilised the The Ruby Guard—loyal soldiers under the king’s direct command—into a brigade of celestial hunters. Unicorns, pegasi, couatl, and countless others were captured, finding their end in the king’s ravenous maw. When a forest demigod named Zaoldin attempted to stop the madness, he too was captured and his divine spark transfused into the king. Where the cries of dying Shai’tan and the slaughter of celestial beasts did not stir the passions of the angels, this singular act brought forth a celestial host intent on vengeance and the king’s demise.
With each mouthful, the king’s wards were rejuvenated, his mind gained another fracture, and his body… changed. Queen Lysta, abhorred by the depraved acts of her husband, attempted many remedies, balms, and spells to restore him to no avail. She believes the changes to be irreversible and grieves his loss. Seeing no alternative, the mourning queen escaped the island, leaving Celarian alone and without counsel. Under the guise of priestess Gameela Haddad, Lysta journeys to find those that might help end Shai’taryn’s desolation.
King Celarian and his soldiers still hold back the demon army, his wards—altered to also allay celestials—powered by near-constant consumption of still-living celestial flesh. Demons continue to spout from the portals, replenishing their numbers. Besieged by both angels and demons, the once idyllic nation is now a war-torn hellscape.
This adventure is Part 4 of a 5 part story arc with all parts able to be played individually. These hunts are connected to Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting by the awesome folks over at Loot Tavern! Each hunt is designed to be played across 3 different levels of play, and include new mythic monsters, spells, and magic items!
NOTE: This hunt has been edited down to include everything needed to play at 6th level. To get the full adventure with all the monster stat blocks, spells, and magic items, head over to Loot Tavern and become a patron!
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