Infernal Invasion is a Private Online campaign that began on May 5th, 2024 and ended with its finale session on November, 3rd, 2024.
The campaign involves a group of powerful souls consigned to eternity in The Ten Hells instead put to work to combat a demonic incursion into the Sixth layer of the Hells, Malbolge.
About[edit | edit source]
The campaign primarily takes place in the Hells, with different events centered around the invasion of demons of the Sixth infernal layer of Malbolge. This invasion was made possible by exploiting the fact that Glasya's experiments in portal magic weakened the interplanar barrier between the 6th Hell and the other planes. A portal connecting a portion of Duumal in demonic control with a faraway corner of Malbolge was created, and demons began quietly flooding the plane for months before being discovered and overrunning the infernal garrisons Glasya left behind when she took command of Nessus.
In response to this failure, Asmodeus convened an infernal council to organize the military effort to reclaim Malbolge and reward the archdevil who was most accomplished during the effort with the position of ruler of that plane. Glasya was stripped of the title, although she retained ownership of Nessus, and all of her archdevils were commanded to lend their forces to the effort, but were disqualified from the competition. In an effort to maintain a semblance of control of the plane, Glasya turned to the next logical choice of archdevils: her daughter-in-law, Philani and Delphyne, who were both archdevils living in Phlegethos. She granted them additional information and military resources, and encouraged her father, Asmodeus, to support Philani's proposals.
With that support, Philani requested permission to offer a certain limited number of mortal souls in the Hells release from any infernal bindings and a return to life in exchange for their services. Asmodeus permitted this request and allowed Philani to scour the infernal dungeons and layers for suitable souls to present with her offer. The party eventually assembled was not the first, but they were the first to successfully complete her audition task: breaking into a fortress guarded by her own dragon wife and escaping with a specific item within.
From that point, Philani added the adventurers to her forces, directing them to handle several high-priority objectives with the flexibility, stealth, and discretion that the force of devils she commanded could not achieve. As they did so, they grew in power, eventually leading to the devils' success in recapturing Malbolge, and in placing Philani as the layer's new ruler.
Player Characters[edit | edit source]
Characters in the campaign are:
- Aestrik (Edelio)
- Damian Shryke (Keller)
- Kanari Meldros (Nin)
- Orlog (Cody)
- Zandar Krith (Jon)
NPCs[edit | edit source]
The Story So Far[edit | edit source]
Over the course of 6 months and 17 sessions, the player characters fought demons and other foes all across the Infernal layer of Malbolge before eventually joining a major assault against the stable portal connecting Malbolge with Duumal, and which had been overrun with demons for over a year without the devils' knowledge. While they traveled around the plane, the party's wizard, Aestriik placed several infernal sigils of Philani's design around the plane, allowing her to tap into and change the energy of the infinite mountain itself and turn it into a volcano, which she made erupt at just the right moment to cause devastation to the unprepared demonic forces and leave other Infernal powers unable to capitalize on the opening it created.
The small army of devils belonging to Philani and Delphyne fought a force more than triple their number, and consisting of major threats up to and including a **demon lord.** Although most of the lesser forces in her retinue were destroyed, the party, Philani, and Delphyne were able to secure the portal site on the Malbolge side and stop the flow of demons into the deeper layer of the Hells. This success was instrumental in reclaiming the plane for the Hells, and in acknowledgement of that success, the archdevil Philani was granted the title of archduchess and put in place as the new ruler of the Sixth Layer of the Hells. This appointment drew the ire of all of the other archdevils competing for the position, not least of all Philani's mother, Pharastra.
In order to secure the party's service in the first place, Philani presented them with a straightforward contract: help her defeat the demons and win her place as ruler of Malbolge in exchange for a True Resurrection, releasing their souls from existing infernal bonds, and whatever gold or items they had earned and which they could carry. Despite some opportunities to do otherwise, she stayed true to her word and sent each party member to the location of their choosing on Quelmar. Now that they have grown from levels 12-17, these figures of legendary power could have significant impacts on the fate of the realm of Quelmar long after their original deaths. What those may be remains to be seen, but will have to be in another adventure. For now, here is where each was sent:
Orlog, the barbarian, was originally a religious cultist whose leader claimed that he had returned to life from the Hells, and who claimed that the only way to choose a new leader was for someone else to do the same. Many others drank the Koolaid™ and ritually sacrificed themselves in an attempt to prove themselves worthy, but none returned. Until Orlog. Having fought and earned his way out of the Hells, Orlog now knew without a doubt that his former leader was a fraud, but *he* was not. With the help of his new closest friend, Aestrik, he deposed the cult leader and took his rightful place as leader, damning his former companion to an eternity in the Hells of his own.
Aestrik, the wizard and writer, originally entered the Hells at the direction of her publisher, who promised her a wonderful opportunity for a book signing. This naïve impression of the place she found herself was quickly shattered, and Aestriik swore vengeance on him for his betrayal. But, over the course of her time in the Hells, she realized that if she followed that path, she would inevitably make her own way back to the Hells when she died. Instead, she chose to focus on her connections with the new, close friends she made during the course of this journey, writing in a new genre for her, biographical non-fiction—albeit, with some embellishments. After giving each member of the party a way to stay in touch, she returned to the world of the living with Orlog, to help him deal with his former cult, and, hopefully, to steer him away from his own potential return to the Hells after his death.
Damian Shryke, the sorcerous warlock, was always fated for the Hells. Raised with his sister by a night hag, and with infernal blood flowing through his veins, he always knew he would end up there. But when he was slain by a devout priest who nonetheless *forgave* him, that created doubt in Damien’s mind. Rather than face his infernal father in the Hells, he sought any hope, any chance to return to the land of the living and face that priest again, to really confront that forgiveness and make peace with his past evils. He found that chance in Philani’s bargain, and although he lost much—including his close companion throughout his life, the imp Lucky—he did get his chance to come back to life. Damien chose to forsake the Hells and his infernal heritage and embrace the priest’s order, and teach them further how to combat devils and to subvert infernal contracts. But his bridges to the Hells are burned, and his mortal protections from Infernal harm are forfeit, and if his soul ever does find its way back to the Hells, he has a world of pain waiting for him… And his devilish father isn’t going to be happy with him either.
Kanari Meldross, the princess and stealthy archer, was damned to the Hells through no fault of her own, but by the weapon of the assassin, Xander Krith, who had been hired to kill her in her sleep. The true culprit: her uncle, a power-hungry man jealous of his brother, the king’s rule, and looking for ways to weaken his rule and usurp him. After Kanari’s death, he was able to orchestrate a coup, driving her parents out of the city and into hiding in a cave at the outskirts of their kingdom. They were utterly surprised when they were visited by Kanari, returned to life and coming to their aid with powers and skills greatly improved since her time alive. With the help of her murderer—and somehow new friend—Xander Krith, she returns with her family to her home to deal with her uncle and reclaim the throne that rightfully belongs to her parents, and eventually to her. And, despite being made the leader of the party of adventurers in the Hells—and even still bearing an infernal mark of command—she tries her best to do good, and to rule well. She hopes to eventually pass into one of the Heavens, but, if something were to send her soul back to the Hells, she’s not worried. After all, she’s got friends in the right place there.
Xander Krith, the infernal assassin, entered the Hells after his execution for the murder of princess Kanari Meldross when his boss in the assassin’s organization betrayed him to the guard to tie up loose ends for their employer. Once he found himself dead, his skills were immediately put to work killing inconvenient devils or even other mortal souls who found themselves within the Hells. Eventually he learned of Philani’s offer and jumped at the opportunity to serve someone who could give him what he craved more than anything else: revenge. To that end, Xander didn’t only agree to the contract allowing him to come back to life, but also bound his soul to Philani further, so he knew he could have a reliable employer after his eventual death and inevitable return to the Hells. Xander embraced this infernal power fully, corrupting even his mortal form from a human into a tiefling and coming back to deal a decisive blow to the group of assassins he *used* to work for. He also grew to like and appreciate Kanari’s company and leadership once he got to know her as a person instead of a target and volunteered to help her deal with her uncle.
Infernal Initiations[edit | edit source]
The characters were scattered across the Hells, with each arriving under different circumstances and being there in different company. Orlog was swiftly captured and placed in a prison where he was tortured for several days before questions even began. When the devils found out he had voluntarily sacrificed himself as part of some cult to return from the Hells in a bid to claim leadership in his religion they found it so hilarious that they stopped torturing him for a few days before inventing new ways to harass and torment Orlog's spirit. And yet, his positive attitude and certainty that he would one day return to the land of the living appeared never to waver. When Philani put out notice that she was collecting mortal souls which had not yet been transformed into fiends for the war effort, he was brought to a meeting chamber within the prison.
Aestrik entered the Hells both by accident and on purpose, but all while still alive. She was on a book signing tour and was told by her publisher that she could find a ready audience for her work through the plane shift spell when in reality he sent her to Hell, likely to horde the profits of her work without having to pay royalties. Upon arriving, Aestrik entered a settlement of fiends and was promptly arrested by the fiends there and thrown into prison. She was only there for a handful of days before a devil with infernal tattoos all over her skin took her from the cell and to the meeting room in the prison.
Zandar Krith, the hired killer, was quickly spotted by an Ink devil hoping to use his skills as an assassin. He put the man to work hunting uglier targets than he was used to, but nonetheless doing quite similar work to while Zandar was alive. He passed hands several times over the span of a month or so before eventually being informed of the opportunity that was rumored: a chance to return to life. Leaping at this opportunity, because it meant a chance to get revenge, Zandar used the resources and favors he had thus far accrued to get himself taken to the meeting place in the prison in Malbolge.
Kanari Meldros was lost in a fog for some unknown period of time before coming to herself on the shores of the Styx in Phlegethos. She was collected by a pack of many-legged creatures and escorted to Philani and Delphyne's fortress where she was promptly placed in a cell to await the mistress of the house's decision of what to do with her. Also inside the cell was an unnamed halfling who didn't remember much of his life or abilities, but was terrified of everything. When Philani inspected the prisoners, she determined that the halfling was useless and burned his soul, destroying it. Kanari, on the other hand, recalled some skills with bows and sneaking, so Philani decided to offer her the chance to prove herself with the other souls she was gathering.
Damian Shryke was killed by a priest and found himself in the Hells with the crushing worry that he had been forgiven looming over him. He was struggling to find any way to come back to life while crashing at the apartment of his imp familiar. His familiar told him of a rumor that Philani was supposedly offering a chance at resurrection, but told him it seemed sketchy because Philani has a reputation for imps in her employ simply disappearing. The familiar tried to talk Damien out of it, but he insisted on going, and they flew out of Abriymoch to her fortress to volunteer for the assignment Philani was offering. When they arrived, Philani took the group to Malbolge for the larger meeting and briefing, where contracts were presented to everyone to sign.
House Rules[edit | edit source]
- Potion Luck: When rolling for healing on a health potion the player may choose to keep their roll or choose an unknown roll made by the Dungeon Master.
- Other Potion Rules: The first 3 potions in a combat can be used on oneself as an action OR a bonus action as they are kept ready to use. Potions beyond that always require an action to use. Potions used on another character always require an action to use.
- All of the characters started with an infernal initiation described below.
- Individual rulings as they came up, but otherwise following D&D 5e 2014 rules.
Magic Variations[edit | edit source]
Some spells either function differently from what you may be used to, or do not function at all. This list is not exhaustive, but includes the following: Summoning spells that call on beings from other planes will not function for the majority of the campaign. This includes spells like Find Familiar, Summon Fey, Conjure Woodland Beings, and so on.
Magic that allows for interplanar travel is already limited within the Hells, but has been further restricted within the plane to prevent any demons who normally have such capabilities from spreading across all of the infernal layers. This, does, however mean that spells like Plane Shift will not function.
Because the character’s souls are currently trapped in the Hells, resurrection magic can return them to life no matter how much time has passed so long as their body is not destroyed. If their body is destroyed, however, then not even a Wish or True Resurrection can bring the character back to life.
Clerics and Warlocks with gods or patrons not native to the Hells require additional DM approval for this campaign, as the channels which allow external power to flow through the domain have been constrained in this time of crisis.
All magic is likely to have strange infernal twists to it. Feel free to flavor your spells and magical effects appropriately without causing a mechanical change.
Infernal Initiations[edit | edit source]
Hellmar Survivor[edit | edit source]
You were born in the devastated plane of Hellmar, ruled by the absolute tyrant that is Asmodeus. It’s practically a miracle you’re alive, if you can call a life spent barely surviving in the burned-out wasteland Hellmar has become. You never let yourself imagine things could be better, but still you sometimes dreamed of a world full of life, and a life you might have there. You’ve fought and killed devils before in your efforts to stay as free as you can, but eventually, as everyone you’ve ever known has, or will, you were captured by the seemingly infinite infernal powers. Just before you are forced to become a fiend yourself one of the devils makes you an offer with the one thing that could torment you more than anything else: hope. There is a living world still out there, and you can have your life there… if the fiend gets what it wants. Gain your choice of one of the following feats: Gunner, Inspiring Leader, Lucky.
Murder Victim[edit | edit source]
Maybe you were a bad person, but you didn’t deserve or expect to die. Maybe you had an infernal contract that you were planning on fulfilling, but circumstances interrupted your plans. Or maybe you were a good person, and one of those pesky infernal cultists killed you and sent your soul to Hell instead of where it belongs. Either way, you died and found yourself in Hell. Your reasons for wanting to return to life and escape Hell may be just as varied as the cause that sent you here. You’ve been dead for some time now though, and you know things will be different if only you can get a second chance. Gain your choice of one of the Alert, Durable, or Fighting Initiate feats to reflect the new skill you’ve practiced to ensure things go better this time around.
Willing Martyr[edit | edit source]
You sacrificed your life to take the place of another whose soul was otherwise damned to the Hells. This person may have been someone you loved or a complete stranger, but the terms were clear, and you fully expected to spend the rest of your existence suffering the torments of Hell with the only solace being that the person you saved wouldn’t have to face the same thing. Gain your choice of one of the Sentinel, Shield Master, or Tough feats. This opportunity to escape from your fate seems almost too good to be true, but you know there is still more good you can do, and you don’t deserve to suffer for an eternity. Killing demons and putting a particular archfiend in power is a price you are willing to pay for your soul’s freedom.
Unwelcome Guest[edit | edit source]
You entered the Hells on your own terms, or by accident. Either way, you didn’t come the traditional way by dying. Still, you got caught by that patrol of devils, and now you’re stuck here, whatever means of escape you had in mind, far out of reach. Gain your choice of one of the Actor, Skulker, or Skill Expert feats reflecting your particular set of skills that convinced you that a trip in and out of the Hells was a good idea in the first place, or at least survivable.
Infernal Initiate[edit | edit source]
You were familiar with and have embraced your Infernal nature to some degree even before this opportunity presented itself. You have experience making deals with powers to gain some of your own. Gain either the Eldritch Adept feat or the Elemental Adept feat. If you are a Tiefling, you may instead choose either the Flames of Phlegethos or the Infernal Constitution feats. You died and were brought to Hell, but your work or desires in the land of the living are incomplete. You know that your soul will most likely return to Hell when you die again, but there are things you can only do in the living world, and you want to get back out and do them.
