Each step closer towards the gate awards a victory and 2 hero tokens. As a reminder hero tokens are a shared resource that can be spent by a hero on their turn or whenever taking damage (no action required) to regain stamina equal to recovery value without spending a recovery.

Encounter, 28 Easy

• Remasch x2
• Pitlings x8
• Nitkin x2

Encounter, 37 Standard

• Watchtower +Oil
• WarDog Conscript x8
• WarDog Crucibite x2

In the distance you hear a ringing bell as you see over the peak of a small hill you look out over a sea of wardogs, demons, and devils all armed and armoured standing in their ranks, siege machines and watch towers scatter the otherwise flat landscape, all looking toward a large arch made of black stone, a smaller arch atop it holds the bell you hear. At the base of the main arch you see a large stone devil, its four red eyes burn deep into each of you, Moranon. A devil stand beside him with a tome and begins reciting from the tome.

Hard montage to reach the gate (S:5 - F:2)
If failure, following combat starts 38 Standard

• Field Ballista x3
• Watchtower
• WarDog Sharpshooters x3
• Demon Frenzied x5

As you reach the large black stone arch you find yourselves confronting Moranon, Marquis of Nessus. Even at a respectable distance you feel the same heat you felt at the volcano, just off to his side you see the Devil Adjudicator facing toward the arch she holds an old tome and is uttering infernal speech, a ritual to open the gate. Moranon shifts to stand between your sight to the Devil. “You cannot stop this.” He raises his shield arm and blood stained stone sword. You look to your rear and see demons and wardogs catching up to you.

Both take a maneuver to attempt, can be retried by others or on following turns

Round 1:
Just Moranon and the Adjudicator. A familiar red lightning from when you found yourselves in the Hells cracks around the edge of the black stone arch, and a small flickering in the center, the adjudicator's ritual is coming to an end, the gate shall soon be opened, you can invoke Tiff's scroll but will trap yourselves in with Hell's army, or you can fight for time.

Round 2:
Top of round two, minions have now reached you, the small spark of the gate is growing, now large enough for creatures to start going through but is still in the air, if you have a way up you have a way home, otherwise you'll have to continue fighting for time.

Round 3:
The gate has grown large enough to reach the ground, it is now or never home is but a few steps away but Hell's forces are only a couple more, you see the rest of the army charging for the gate. If you stay or fail to close the gate there will soon be a stampede.

Round 4:
Asmodeus's army is on your heels, this is possibly you final chance to close Moranon's gate and stop this army from killing you and causing havoc throughout the land.

Round 5/Failure:
Time has run out, Moranon's gate is open and Asmodeus' army is flooding through, stampeding you and everything in their path, the refugee camp on the other side stood no chance, the uneasy truce between Covania and Oxtrad causes failures in communication, the war ravages on, escalating in intensity.

Victory:
Moranon's gate closes stopping Asmodeus' army. The adrenaline fades and you're able to take in your new surrounds of a refugee camp, soldiers from both Covania and Oxtrad flank you in shock of what they just saw through the gate, fresh air fills your lungs, the smell of sulfur now gone, your skin no longer constantly on the edge of burning, sweat no longer instantly evaporating, and as gross as it is, your mouth no longer dry. You've made it home.

Sacrifice:
You get a glimpse through the gate, of a refugee camp, Covanian and Oxtradian soldiers watching in horror at the growing gate. You finish the spell and your view of the other side collapses, they're safe but at the cost of your own lives. The arch collapses, you stand at the edge of a cliff with Moranon furious at your actions, Asmodeus' army marching toward you know this is a no prisoners situation. What do you do in your final acts, of hope? of spite? or of something else?