Lulu's memories

Dear Nori,
I thought we had almost done it. That if we would restore Lulu’s memories, saving Elturel would be in our grasp. Unfortunately it was only a step in a longer path. You see, we need Zariels sword to cut the chains that hold Elturel. Thanks to Lulu, and Maggies machine, we at least know where to look for it. Right now, it’s in a place called the Bloody Cyst. We’re gonna go there tomorrow.
I think you're also interested in what Lulu actually remembered. Seeing you’ve met her and all. The whole experience was interesting, really. Not what I expected. Also, not the Lulu I expected. But I’ m getting ahead of myself again. Let’s start from the beginning.
Maggie strapped Lulu and the rest of us into the machine. She was still kinda working on it, but that didn’t really matter. Maggie would watch “the show” on a screen (together with Mordenkainen? This must be interesting to see, even for someone like him). When Maggie turned the machine on, it didn’t work right, at least not right away. She tinkered a bit with it (I heard clanking), and then we got a vision. (She kept tinkering with it during the visions, sometimes we heard her talk or tinker over Lulu’s memories.)
First we were on a battlefield. We were fighting gnolls. Lulu was flying above us, with Zariel on her back. Zariel was clearly the general of a big battle. She was helping the fight on multiple fronts, just not the one we were fighting. Lulu was ordered to hold the line somewhere. When we killed most of the gnolls close to us, we heard a trumpet and someone yelling orders in abyssal.
Then a new vision appeared. Although for something called a vision there was very little to see. I recognised the meeting between Yael (whom we also saw in the vision from the helmet) and Zariel. And then some more conversations, although to me it isn’t clear who said what. Or sometimes even what they were talking about.
Next we appeared on a ship on the Styx. Once again, there were a lot of demons. Yael and Lulu were fighting them. We were ourselves, but also angels, protecting Yael and Lulu so they could escape.
Then we were standing on a beach. I don’t think it was Avernus, since we could see stars. On the beach were Lulu and Zariel multiple times, frozen in time. Only when we touched them, the pair moved. They were talking, unaware of us. They talked about mortals and eternals, fighting, or war. Good and evil. Also, this Lulu was a little less cute sweet elephant and a little more idealistic warrior willing to sacrifice lives for the cause. Zariel was clearly not happy with the way things are. She definitely wanted to change it. Change fate, maybe? Lulu’s memories still aren’t very clear.
Then we got into another memory. We’re in Avernus again. Zariel is commanding an army with Yael. They seem to be confident they’re winning. That is, until the forces are retreating. Zariel and Yael try to get the army to charge the demons. When they won't, they shut the portal. The army is cannon fodder for the fiends.
Then came the last vision. No more signs of Zariel. It was just Lulu and Yael. They seem tired. There are armies of demons and devils coming from both sides. Yael says goodbye to Lulu, and sacrifices herself with Zariels sword. She will protect the sword. A beautiful white fortress appeared where Yael fell. Avernus (the plane itself) doesn’t like the holy light the fortress seems to have, and the grounds seem to be wounded by the holy touch of Yaels sacrifice. The fortress gets engulfed by a cancerous bloody cyst.
Pretty cool, right? Although I was shocked that Lulu was willing to sacrifice mortals for the cause. She was distressed by the revelation as well. I was able to comfort her, telling her we all make mistakes. She really was a different person back then.
Our next step is finding the Bloody Cyst. It should be pretty recognizable, right? But first we’re gonna celebrate this victory in our quest, even if it’s just a little one. And Lulu might drown her memories again. That’s probably best for her.