Chapter 8: The Dragon Queen's Pride - Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Chapter 8: The Dragon Queen's Pride. The heroes' quest for the final rod piece takes them into a casino in the heart of Avernus The adventurers discover that the final piece of the Rod of Seven Parts is in the heart of Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. The characters must infiltrate a diabolical casino dedicated to Tiamat, Queen of Evil Dragons, whose lair is nearby. Running This Chapter This chapter begins after the characters retrieve the sixth piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. A character who holds this piece knows instinctively that the seventh piece is located somewhere inside a casino called the Red Belvedere in Avernus. The Wizards Three warn the characters that finding this location might be difficult since the Nine Hells are impossible to map and difficult to traverse. Once the characters enter Avernus, they must hitch a ride on an infernal war machine and traverse the hellish landscape to reach the Red Belvedere. The characters must manipulate the Fiends in the casino's highest ranks to enter the exclusive Ruby Sanctum, then fight Tiamat's champion-or convince Tiamat to give up the final rod piece. Character Advancement The characters should be 17th level when this chapter begins. They gain a level once they retrieve the seventh and final piece of the Rod of Seven Parts from the casino's Ruby Sanctum. Power of Secrets The individuals the characters meet in Avernus are primarily Fiends and other unpleasant beings. As a rule, these creatures lack the remorse, guilt, and shame that would give their secrets power if revealed to the characters. The characters don't learn any secrets applicable to the rules in "The Power of Secrets" section found in this book's introduction, though they can spend secrets during this chapter normally. Seventh Rod Piece The final piece of the Rod of Seven Parts is in area N5 in the Ruby Sanctum, located in the Dragon's Pride area of the Red Belvedere casino. For more information about the rod and the spell this rod pie...