Episode 124: The Underworld

One of my players is having his solo-side adventure tonight. He missed our last big full group game so I do side-quests to explain why that PC was missing when the player irl just couldn't be there.

So, long and short of it, in this side-quest he's going to the Nine Hells of Nerull to talk to Totivillus the Scribe (Layer 8) to find out which Archdevil his father signed a pact with that damned him and his brother to an infernal heritage.  The PC is level 16 currently, so getting there he'll likely use the spell Planeshift but he'll get stopped at the 1st layer Gluttony and have to work his way down to layer 8 from there.  I haven't thought of another way to get there yet aside from magical means.  I might find a nice spot to put a secret portal in the material world at some point, or that in and of itself could be a campaign! *Cough* Oblivion *Cough*

All the religious info available to him and the PC's told him that if any being, mortal or otherwise knew who the pact his father made was with, it would be Totivillus the Scribe, and recordkeeper of the Nine Hells.  

This particular PC also happens to be the son of the BBEG. 

This is just one of my Outer Planes however. There is still Elysium as the version of "Heaven" opposite the Nine Hells as well as several other outer planes to fill out the Law-Chaos/Positive-Negative axis such as Mechanus and Pandemonium as well as a couple homebrew outer planes like Magi Inkarnera, Dracofel and Mt. Dracosis (the dragon versions of heaven and hell)

DM Exitum,


I am having a similar adventure set up for my 5 member party (all level 5).  In order to progress (and curry the favor Illyth, the Goddess of Birth, Death, and Healing), they must find and bring back the soul of the character (a bard) of a player joining my table.  

I have 6 realms in my underworld, the first of which is the home of the gods and where souls await judgement, or rest before being reincarnated.  The other 5 realms are where souls are purified of the cruelties they have committed in previous lives (self-centeredness, avarice, anger/fear, pleasure-seeking, and ignorance).  Each is ruled by either a god (e.g. the god of destruction and war for avarice) or goddess (e.g. the goddess of madness for self-centeredness or anger/fear undecided on this), or a demon prince.     

Here's my question: How did your player get from one layer of your hell to the next? What sort of encounters, puzzles, etc. did he have to successfully pass/solve? 

Thanks!