Till Greed Do Us Part | Free Adventure for D&D and PF2e

A profane wedding is about to unite two powerful devils—Barazul, the Glutton of Gold, and Cheltra, the Hungering Mouth. The Cult of Greed has gathered to witness the bonding ceremony and indulge in the lavish feast that follows. If they seal their union, the devils’ combined power will elevate their standing within both the cult and the infernal hierarchy.

Scazhar, a bitter lesser devil and Cheltra’s former lover, has contacted the characters. Once betrothed to her, she cast Scazhar aside when Barazul offered her greater status and power. The ceremonial jaw hook Cheltra now wears—tipped with diamond and laced with Infernal script—was a gift from Scazhar during their engagement. Seeing her use it to seal her vows with another fills him with spite.

Scazhar offers the party rare treasures if they can disrupt the wedding before the couple completes their vows. Additionally, if the characters recover Cheltra’s jaw hook and return it to Scazhar, he will reward them with a bonus. Scazhar informs the characters that the event is under heavy guard, and there will surely be a lot of enemies in attendance. The characters must figure out a way to infiltrate the event.

This once-grand banquet hall is now a decadent ruin draped in filth and faded opulence. Shattered goblets and gold-leafed debris litter the floor. A long head table looms atop an elevated platform, its surface set with tarnished finery. A matted patchwork of crimson rugs layers the floor. Hooded cultists and lavishly dressed cult nobles are sitting silently at long tables, watching intently while two leering devils stand at its center, poised between two golden statues, chanting in Infernal in perfect unison, already beginning to seal their infernal union.

Roleplaying Notes.

·         Any action deemed to be disruptive to the bonding ceremony will anger Barazul and Cheltra. Once the devils are angered, most wedding guests flee, leaving seven cultists to defend Barazul and Cheltra. Barazul and Cheltra will continue the bonding ceremony as the cultists attack the characters for their abrupt disturbance to the ceremony.

·         The ceremony is invitation-only. Each of the three entrance doors is magically sealed and guarded by a vigilant cultist. The characters must find a way to infiltrate the hall; various methods for entering are detailed below. If successful, the cultist at that door will momentarily drop the magical seal, permitting access to the event.

o   Forgery and Deception. Characters can forge invitations with a successful DC 14 Forgery Kit check, especially with help from Scazhar, who offers a real one as a reference. Additionally, the characters can disguise themselves as infernal nobles or cult dignitaries with a successful DC 15 Disguise Kit check. To enter the event, the characters must each succeed a DC 16 Charisma (Deception) or (Performance) check, reduced to DC 10 if using magical disguises like disguise self.

o   Bribery. Offer something valuable to the greedy cultists guarding the door.

o   Other Magical Methods. Use spells like seeming, suggestion, modify memory, or dominate person on a guest or a cultist guarding the door. Use spells like dimension door or invisibility to sneak past the cultists guarding the door.

·         Immediately after the characters enter the hall, the doorways magically seal, and they urge the characters to take their seats at the table. The only available seats are those closest to the door and furthest away from Barazul and Cheltra.

·         The bonding ceremony takes place in three stages. If the characters do not stop the bonding ceremony before the end of the third stage, they will fail the task, and the devils will be joined in unholy matrimony and ascend to the next level of power. When the characters enter, the first stage of the bonding ceremony has already begun.

o   The first stage of the bonding ceremony is to summon the officiant. In perfect unison, Barazul and Cheltra utter an Infernal chant to summon their officiant. A dark, vertical rift opens midair. From the rift booms the disembodied voice of the officiant—an unseen devil who speaks only through planar breach. The characters can intervene by countering the chant with spells such as counterspell or silence. Physically interrupting the chant with an attack is also a way characters can intervene. Dispel magic cast at sixth level on the officiant’s rift will disrupt the connection, stopping the bonding ceremony. If Barazul and Cheltra complete the first stage, as long as the rift remains open, counterspell and dispel magic cast within 30 feet of the devils require a DC 17 Intelligence (Arcana) check to succeed unless cast at sixth level or higher.

o   In the second stage of the bonding ceremony, Barazul and Cheltra recite their vows. However, their vows are not about love but rather mutual exploitation and indulgence. Each delivers a twisted, ritualistic pledge before the rift, vowing to feed the other’s sins and share in eternal dominion over mortal temptation. Barazul pledges to provide “endless banquets of gold and gluttony, promising to devour all who resist their rule.” Cheltra responds with a promise “to gnaw upon the hearts of the rich and desperate, vowing to make their enemies scream in agony.” They must complete their vows without hesitation, or the binding magic fails, and they must restart. The characters can intervene by distracting the devils, causing them to hesitate in their recital of vows, or casting dispel magic at the sixth level on the officiant’s rift to disrupt the connection. Physically interrupting the chant with an attack is also a way characters can intervene. If Barazul and Cheltra complete the first stage, they gain advantage on initiative rolls.

o   In the third phase of the bonding ceremony, Barazul and Cheltra seal their vows with a piercing ritual. Each devil has a ceremonial blade attached to their body—for Barazul, it is a golden tongue ring shaped like a serpent devouring coins—and for Cheltra, it is a pierced jaw hook tipped with a diamond and laced with infernal script. Each embeds the item into the flesh of the other as a mark of eternal union. This act magically binds their souls and infernal influence, elevating their infernal hierarchy. The only way the characters can intervene is by separating a ceremonial blade from one of them, preventing them from completing the piercing ritual, or if a ceremonial blade were to pierce another creature. If Barazul and Cheltra complete the final stage, they gain the magical resistance trait, granting them advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Encounter Notes.

·         The first stage of the bonding ceremony has already begun, as Barazul and Cheltra are mid-chant, summoning their officiant. Interrupting the rift as it opens might provoke the officiant’s wrath, resulting in a blast of arcane energy from beyond the rift. Each creature of the officiant’s choice within 100 feet of the rift must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw, taking 4d8 psychic damage and becoming stunned for one round on a failed save, or taking half damage on a success.

·         If the characters cast dispel magic on the officiant’s rift at the sixth level during the second stage of the bonding ceremony, each humanoid creature within 30 feet of the rift must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d6 force damage and falling prone on a failed save, or half damage on a success as the dark magic explodes.

·         If the characters disrupt the third stage by seizing a ceremonial blade, the devils must reclaim it in time to complete the piercing ritual within four rounds. If a ceremonial blade pierces another, the creature takes 1d8 piercing damage, and it must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed for up to 1 minute as infernal ichor courses through its veins. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

·         When combat begins, Barazul and Cheltra will continue the bonding ceremony as the cultists defend them. They will join the fight if they complete the bonding ceremony.

·         If the characters attempt to flee, the devils will command the cultists to pursue the characters as Barazul and Cheltra attempt to complete the bonding ceremony.

·         Though the cultists obey Barazul and Cheltra’s commands, if the characters kill the devils, the cultists will flee for their lives.

A profane wedding is about to unite two powerful devils—Barazul, the Glutton of Gold, and Cheltra, the Hungering Mouth. The Cult of Greed has gathered to witness the bonding ceremony and indulge in the lavish feast that follows. If they seal their union, the devils’ combined power will elevate their standing within both the cult and the infernal hierarchy.

Scazhar, a bitter lesser devil and Cheltra’s former lover, has contacted the characters. Once betrothed to her, she cast Scazhar aside when Barazul offered her greater status and power. The ceremonial jaw hook Cheltra now wears—tipped with diamond and laced with Infernal script—was a gift from Scazhar during their engagement. Seeing her use it to seal her vows with another fills him with spite.

This once-grand banquet hall is now a decadent ruin draped in filth and faded opulence. Shattered goblets and gold-leafed debris litter the floor. A long head table looms atop an elevated platform, its surface set with tarnished finery. A matted patchwork of crimson rugs layers the floor. Hooded cultists and lavishly dressed cult nobles are sitting silently at long tables, watching intently while two leering devils stand at its center, poised between two golden statues, chanting in Infernal in perfect unison, already beginning to seal their infernal union.

Roleplaying Notes.

·         Any action deemed to be disruptive to the bonding ceremony will anger Barazul and Cheltra. Once the devils are angered, most wedding guests flee, leaving seven cultists to defend Barazul and Cheltra. Barazul and Cheltra will continue the bonding ceremony as the cultists attack the characters for their abrupt disturbance to the ceremony.

·         The ceremony is invitation-only. Each of the three entrance doors is magically sealed and guarded by a vigilant cultist. The characters must find a way to infiltrate the hall; various methods for entering are detailed below. If successful, the cultist at that door will momentarily drop the magical seal, permitting access to the event.

o   Forgery and Deception. Characters can forge invitations with a successful DC 28 Deception check, especially with help from Scazhar, who offers a real one as a reference. Additionally, the characters can disguise themselves as infernal nobles or cult dignitaries with a successful DC 28 Performance.

o   Bribery. Offer something valuable to the greedy cultists guarding the door.

o   Other Magical Methods. Use spells like suggestion, or rewrite memory on a guest or a cultist guarding the door. Use spells like translocate or invisibility to sneak past the cultists guarding the door.

·         Immediately after the characters enter the hall, the doorways magically seal, and they urge the characters to take their seats at the table. The only available seats are those closest to the door and furthest away from Barazul and Cheltra.

·         The bonding ceremony takes place in three stages. If the characters do not stop the bonding ceremony before the end of the third stage, they will fail the task, and the devils will be joined in unholy matrimony and ascend to the next level of power. When the characters enter, the first stage of the bonding ceremony has already begun.

o   The first stage of the bonding ceremony is to summon the officiant. In perfect unison, Barazul and Cheltra utter an Infernal chant to summon their officiant. A dark, vertical rift opens midair. From the rift booms the disembodied voice of the officiant—an unseen devil who speaks only through planar breach. The characters can intervene by countering the chant with spells such as silence. Physically interrupting the chant with an attack is also a way characters can intervene. Dispel magic cast at sixth level on the officiant’s rift will disrupt the connection, stopping the bonding ceremony. If Barazul and Cheltra complete the first stage, as long as the rift remains open, and dispel magic cast within 30 feet of the devils require a DC 30 Arcana check to succeed unless cast at sixth level or higher.

o   In the second stage of the bonding ceremony, Barazul and Cheltra recite their vows. However, their vows are not about love but rather mutual exploitation and indulgence. Each delivers a twisted, ritualistic pledge before the rift, vowing to feed the other’s sins and share in eternal dominion over mortal temptation. Barazul pledges to provide “endless banquets of gold and gluttony, promising to devour all who resist their rule.” Cheltra responds with a promise “to gnaw upon the hearts of the rich and desperate, vowing to make their enemies scream in agony.” They must complete their vows without hesitation, or the binding magic fails, and they must restart. The characters can intervene by distracting the devils, causing them to hesitate in their recital of vows, or casting dispel magic at the sixth level on the officiant’s rift to disrupt the connection. Physically interrupting the chant with an attack is also a way characters can intervene. If Barazul and Cheltra complete the first stage, they gain a +2 circumstance bonus on initiative rolls.

o   In the third phase of the bonding ceremony, Barazul and Cheltra seal their vows with a piercing ritual. Each devil has a ceremonial blade attached to their body—for Barazul, it is a golden tongue ring shaped like a serpent devouring coins—and for Cheltra, it is a pierced jaw hook tipped with a diamond and laced with infernal script. Each embeds the item into the flesh of the other as a mark of eternal union. This act magically binds their souls and infernal influence, elevating their infernal hierarchy. The only way the characters can intervene is by separating a ceremonial blade from one of them, preventing them from completing the piercing ritual, or if a ceremonial blade were to pierce another creature. If Barazul and Cheltra complete the final stage, they gain the magical resistance trait, granting them a +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Encounter Notes.

·         The first stage of the bonding ceremony has already begun, as Barazul and Cheltra are mid-chant, summoning their officiant. Interrupting the rift as it opens might provoke the officiant’s wrath, resulting in a blast of arcane energy from beyond the rift. Each creature of the officiant’s choice within 100 feet of the rift must succeed on a DC 30 Will save, taking 4d8 mental damage and becoming stunned 3 on a failed save, or taking half damage on a success.

·         If the characters cast dispel magic on the officiant’s rift at the sixth level during the second stage of the bonding ceremony, each humanoid creature within 30 feet of the rift must succeed on a DC 28 Reflex saving throw, taking 4d6 force damage and falling prone on a failed save, or half damage on a success as the dark magic explodes.

·         If the characters disrupt the third stage by seizing a ceremonial blade, the devils must reclaim it in time to complete the piercing ritual within four rounds. If a ceremonial blade pierces another, the creature takes 1d8 piercing damage, and it must succeed on a DC 30 Fortitude save or become paralyzed for up to 1 minute as infernal ichor courses through its veins. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

·         When combat begins, Barazul and Cheltra will continue the bonding ceremony as the cultists defend them. They will join the fight if they complete the bonding ceremony.

·         If the characters attempt to flee, the devils will command the cultists to pursue the characters as Barazul and Cheltra attempt to complete the bonding ceremony.

·         Though the cultists obey Barazul and Cheltra’s commands, if the characters kill the devils, the cultists will flee for their lives.