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[covaithe]

A dozen narrow stairs down, the stairway turns on itself and widens, becoming more comfortable for those of you in armor. Another dozen steps end in a plain wooden door. A faint reddish glow can be seen around the door, which is slightly ajar. It opens with a touch, swinging quietly inward, and inundating you with the scent of brimstone.

The room is a large, square, stone-floored chamber, with a high ceiling of paneled wood. There are shelves around the edge of the room, as well as a low slab of stone that could be either desk or altar, depending on the nearby furnishings. It currently seems to be firmly in altar mode. But the dominant feature of the room is a large, glowing red diagram in the center of the floor, roughly circular, and rather thoroughly occupied.

The circle's occupant stands some nine feet tall, with black, curving horns extending another half foot above. Its hide is a deep gray, striated with black and red ridges that cover its thickly muscled body. It is roughly humanoid, standing upright on two clawed feet, and carrying in one hand a massive hammer of black iron. Its other hand it flexes restlessly, long black claws scything the air in anticipation. It stands naked, save for a loincloth of black metal plates hung from an iron chain around its waist. Its face is hard to make out, as it is shrouded in shadows with no obvious source, save for its burning red eyes, and the occasional reflection off of sharp, ebony fangs. It faces the far corner of the room, and looks toward you over its shoulder as you enter, but makes no other movement.

"What? Who goes there? Don't come any closer, or I'll break the circle, and this thing will kill us all!" The voice comes from the far corner, where a human figure struggles to his feet. He is a middle-aged man, of average height and lean build, and bears a slight resemblance to the childrens' bodies from upstairs. He wears a robe of dark red, belted at the waist with a silver chain, and a fine cloak. His eyes are deeply bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them, as though he has been awake for far too long.