It takes Occa several teleport without error spells to do it, but at last you are all transported back to Hell; specifically to the scene of the battle with the giants, hell hounds, demons and the vampire.
Checking out the area, you find that little remains of the dead monsters except for cleanly picked bones. Overhead, the sky is a sickly sulphurous colour. The air is stagnant and the heat is stifling.
You struggle to recall what the reason was that you ever came to Hell for in the first place, and then remember that you are here on a mission to rescue Salaam.
You set off again across the featureless, stony plane, following the endless line of rusting vehicles which are parked for all eternity in the neverending traffic jam on the Highway to Hell.
After walking for some six hours you reach the edge of a large depression. It stretches for miles before you; you cannot see the far side of it. The bottom of it seems wreathed in mist. The Highway heads down the slope to the bottom of it, and disappears into the mist.
You follow the Highway downwards. It takes you about three hours to reach the bottom. Before you stretches a large, fetid swamp. Stagnant, slime choked pools are overhung with dead or dying trees. The air is still, and smells of decay and...brimstone. There is a light rain falling, blown in your face by a gusty wind. Overhead, the light seems dimmed, the sky overcast.
Before and behind you stretches the traffic choked highway. Down here many of the cars are partially submerged in the mire; some have only their roofs visible above the muck and water. Here and there in the lines of traffic you see larger vehicles in different shapes and sizes. Some of these appear to be literally long boxes on wheels, while others are but open platforms.
It is obvious that in order to make any time, you would do best to literally use the vehicles as a path through the fens, climbing over them, rather than try to walk through the swamp itself.
You decide to camp here for the night before tackling the swamp, and find a large, once rather decadently decorated RV to spend the night in. Going in through a side door, you find yourselves in a small combination kitchen-common room. Aft is a bedroom, furnished with a large bed and a mirrored ceiling. Between the two rooms is a smaller room, equipped with strange porcelain fixtures whose purposes are unclear to you.
No sooner are you comfortably settled in, though, then there comes a firm knock at the door of the vehicle.
Peering out through a side window, you see two devils. They appear to be the epitome of devilkind: generally humanoid in size and form, with small horns, snaky hair, fangs, pointed ears, slanted eyes, leathery wings and barbed tails. Their scaley, reptillian hides are green. They are wearing uniforms and there is an officious air about them.
"Och!" Gilstrock says. "I liked it better in Sandas! This is Hell!"
He pauses, and then says, "I mean, it is, but what I was trying to say is, this is really bad, and... err, never mind."
He unsheathes Thawbreaker and holds the blade close to his brown in an attempt to cool himself off for a bit.
Niko checks to see if his flame tongue will ignite.
It does.
He then checks to see if his other cutlass still gives off light when wielded.
It does.
Al unsheathes his weapons and stands by the inside of the door.
Gilstrock looks over at Occa and Darian. "Uh, guys, what's the protocol in situations like this? Do we try to kill them? Or are they just gonna hassle us for taxes or something?"
Niko turns invisible. "Taxes???!!! Just let'em try and collect! I ain't payin' no stinkin' taxes...it's...it's...unconstitutional!"
"'Specially since we don't got no representation down here. Taxation without Representation! Bah. Anybody want some tea?"
Gilstrock suddenly remembers where he is, and ceases his blathering.
"Gonna answer the door. Everybody be ready."
"Answer the door and we'll find out, I suppose. Be ready to kill them if they attack, but let's find out what they want, first."
Occa goes over to the door, moves the shade aside and yells, "What the hell do you want?"
"I like that!" Equinox chuckles with pleasure, "Dispense with the pleasantries. I think that Occa has found the proper way to deal with devils."
Equinox readies 3 of the 6 darts that "improve one's chance of hitting a target."
"May we see your camping permit, please?" asks one of the devils without preamble. "Overnight camping is not allowed without either a permit, a bribe, or both."
His voice is low and raspy.
Occa says, "Okay. How about a bribe? Leave and we won't kill you."
The devil lashes his barbed tail irritably.
"You can't threaten us. It's against the rules. We will each accept a 100gp bribe."
"Who's rules are these?"
"The Rules Of Set."
"Oh, we didn't know that. Do you guys have a map? We'd pay extra for a map."
"We do not have a map."
Occa pays 200 gps and says, "You know where there is a huge castle around here?"
"Yes. For another 100gp bribe I am authorised to tell you."
Occa hands over the gold.
"Yes," replies the devil. "There is a large castle of iron located 1.5 day's march past the Miasmar Marshes. It is ruled for the moment by an arcanadaemon."
"How does your lord feel about a daemon in hell? Anything along the way that we should be wary of?"
"He has not deigned to notice the incursion yet. The way there is quite safe."
They turn and fly away, intent on harrassing any other parties of adventurers that they may encounter.
After the two devils have flown off, Gilstrock says to Occa. "Fill me in. What in hel... I mean, what is an arcanadaemon? And why would their lord be upset about it?"
"Yeah...and maybe we should have asked how big his army is, too."
"Because daemons belong on another plane...hades, Gehenna...not in hell. Hell is for devils and the Abyss is for demons. Anyway, he doesn't belong here but is trying to carve out a kingdom. That is good to know because he won't be getting much help once we are in the castle. Even so, they are powerful daemons."
"Maybe we could get some help from the Devils!" Gilstrock says. "I mean, it's yucky and all, but there might be some devil looking to show his boss how hot he is, that will want to help us put some egg in the daemon-thingy's face!"
"I don't know, Gil. Making agreements with devils rarely works out for the side that's not the devils. They have a strange way of sticking with the letter of the agreement, not the intent. And they have lots of ways of tricking you."
Niko sheathes the second cutlass "Darian, could you please place my cutlass in that magic pouch of yours. It's a bit cumbersome trying to carry around a pair of these."
"I don't know if it'll fit, Niko, but I can try."
"Thanks," Niko says with a belch. Niko hands Darian the cutlass.
Darian tries to put it in one of his pouches.
He tries. The cutlass will not fit.
Niko sighs "Anyone have a portable hole?"
Assuming a negative response, Niko straps the cutlass to his back.
Occa goes to sleep. Looking up at the mirrors above the bed he says, "Wish Trace where here."
Tracey appears.
"AAAAAA!" she says, surprised. She holds a piece of cold pizza in her hand.
That night most of you sleep poorly, due to the inordinate amount of noise coming from the bedroom at the back...