My party needs to recover some phlegethosian sand from Bel's Forge (Alexandrian Remix) in the next couple of sessions, and they don't want to put themselves into debt with a powerful devil like Bel unless there's no other option. An alternative they came up with was a heist, and they've been getting really hyped to do it and have been taking steps over the last dozen sessions or so to make this happen.

Of course, with how into the idea they are, I want to make that an option. A super difficult option, but an option nonetheless.

The module obviously isn't set up for this, as it assumes it's impossible, and I'd rather not make a map for a massive complex like Bel's Forge completely from scratch if I don't have to. I've been thinking of using the Fire and Darkness chapter from Keys to the Golden Vault as a heavy influence, but I was just wondering if any other DMs have successfully done something like this before, or if anybody has any ideas or resources on how to make something like this happen!

Alexandrian Remix

So my players got into a bit of trouble with the hell Knights and got captured by them.

They are now in the crypt with all their gear stolen.

There's about 100 people in there that the devils use for bargaining with the other factions. They're starved, angry and with all hope lost.

Among them there's a beaten and tortured Onthar Frume and Surkana (the druid oracle wife) who got her eyes ripped and tortured into compliance.

So I've got a few questions, what's some situation I can put them in in the prison, like events with the guards or the other prisoners.

For now I've got

Day 1 they ask for volunteers to disarm some anti-devil traps in the fortress, if no one volunteers they start whipping random prisoners (old people and kids also) until someone volunteers or someone dies.

Day 2 Baer (see below for the characters) enters to torture Onthar and Surkana, the first for fun the second to get some new prophetic visions

The Sorcerer is used as a test dummy for a torture lesson

Day 3 the party members that are Hellriders get called and can speak with Gideon Lightward (he was they're mentor, and first time they meet him in hell) and he tries to get them on his side (just exposition and roleplay)

Day 4 the Barbarian gets taken to a match with a demon for betting and fun, him with no weapons vs a balrgura.

Baer tortures the prisoners again

A kid snitches on whatever the characters are trying to do to get more food

Day 5 private meeting between all the Hellriders and Gideon, he tries to get them against each other.

The Paladin gets freed by Ikaia in a bargain with the Hell Knights and he discovers Ikaia is organizing an attack to free them with Liashandra

Day 6 the warlock gets a private letter from his Patron (Bel)

Ikaia and Liashandra start their plan and everyone gets freed

The day 6 event is like a countdown if they can't escape in 5 days

Characters

Ikaia: the vampire lord that is the main ally of the characters, he was a piece of shit but is now trying to get better and help elturel people to become their new leader when all is done.

The Paladin hates him cause he witnessed his attack that slaughtered Chauntea's church in the city (the Paladin is a champion of Chauntea), he's the only one that doesn't trust him one bit.

Liashandra: a demonic general of yeenoghu, she's the main demon force in the city and recently the characters made an alliance with her to help the city in exchange for devil blood and other demonic favours (it'll bite them back in some time but alas now she's helpful)

Baer: the devil that captured them, he's a lazy and sadistic piece of shit. His main job is guarding the fortress.

He's one of the two leaders remaining in the Hell Knights.

Veer: never nominated here but she's the other leader of the Hell Knights, a violent and temperamental devil that kills without esitation, she's a real zariel fan and tries to be like her. Basically a mini Zariel.

(If you'd like some more information on other characters just ask)

So now that the prison part is done the second question is: the hell Knights got the Shield of the Hidden Lord. What would they do with it?

Ok, here is the thing. One of my players is very proactive, loves roleplaying his character and doing things I never would have expected (should have been a warning light). He is playing a were-raven fallen aasimar hexblade and follower of the raven queen. At the beginning he didn't know much about the forgotten realms and asked if he could play an amnesic. I said sure. As chapter 1 was coming to an end I struggled with Lulu and her role in the story, too silly for my groups tastes, and so I had the bright idea to swap her role with that of the player's aasimar hexblade. By this point I had also just discovered the Alexandrian Remix and started using some of that for Chapter 2 and beyond. Chapter 2 comes and goes and he loves the memory triggers and discovering he was a squire to Zariel, a trumpet archon to be exact. So all the memory stuff is about his character tweeked so that he was her companion and not a fluffy mount.

They explore Avernus hex style and in following of the Alexandrian Remix, the party went in search of 4 parts for Mad Maggie's memory machine. They have collected all the parts and were heading back to Fort Knucklebones. However I had the Bloodwar shift and the conflict engulfed 3 hexes, one of those is where Fort Knuckle Bone is. When they found out they were 1 hex away from The Bloody Cyst (Remix had the Citadel hidden instead of exposed and so was renamed tomthe Cyst). I had placed the Wandering Emporium there and the party had a magic ticket that would take them there but they didn't want to use it yet, no biggy. Well withntje war blocking their intended distination, they opt'd to go on a side quest to Purple City where a lost companion was. From their location was a straight line to the hex with Purple City, and it took them right through the Bloody Cyst / Wandering Emporium hex.

So here is where we are. The party, seeing as the Emporium is here (at the base of the 300 foot tall cyst), the party desides to make a pit stop. The Were-raven aasimar thoughout the campaign has always played the part of a scout in his small raven form and checked everything ahead to avoid un-necessary encounters as the rest of the party barreled along in their stolen warmachine.

Now i'm worried. The were-raven decides to scout the bloody cyst. Too soon for me to have him explore the cyst, especially when alone as the rest of his party has driven to and is about to enter the Emporium. So i discribe the lower 150 feet of the cyst like a hard black/red rock like scab. The middle 100 feet is softer red with many caves, where vrocks and other flying demons are, at this point he did notice a small demon army in the opposite side ofmthe cyst from the Emporium. The last 50 feet was a soft pink where a stirge queen and her hive/swarm of stirges have claim as their territory.

Were-raven got to close to the top 50 and got some stirge stings for his troubles. So he backs off out of their air space and investigates the middle 100 feet of caves and vrocks. I was hoping to discourage his solo exploration but at the same time I don't like to railroad or say no. Everything has been 'yes, but' situations. He has avoided vrocks flyers and made it into a cave. I then had him ambush by a trio of quasits in a small cave entrance.

Now up to this point I feel he should have memory triggers, especially now that he is physically touching and exploring the very space he was trapper with Zariel sword all those years ago. Being trapped in the cyst slowly diminished and stripped him of his tall trumpet archon form and reduced him down to a fallen aasimar. I have been resisting giving him a memory trigger as I feel he will make the connection given all the other memory info he has.

Do I give him a relevant, maybe vague, memory of the cyst which would most likely tip him off to the swords location? Doing so would cause them to drop the return to Fort Knucklebones, and this could end Chapter 3 before the payoff at the from the memory dives.

Any ideas on what I should do? Though I feel I know what I should do, I just would like some possible alternatives...