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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jfdlsjfd" data-source="post: 9549356" data-attributes="member: 42856">Kief's spell is terrifying. It's letting us slide through the solid floor. Thankfully, he remembers to stop his magic once we're right at the level below the arena, and not in the core of the Earth.Wait, maybe we're nearer to it than hoped, since we're informed of the stiffling heat.Yet, we're at the top of a stair that only goes down. Kudoos for the engineers and architect.We emerge over the magma chamber of a volcano. Not any volcano, since we're in a two kilometers wide underground lava lake. The stairs went down to a ledge bordering it.Googling informed me that the largest recorded lava lake was formed by volcano Nyiragongo in 1982, and reached 2,300 feet. That's 3 times smaller than this monster. Also, we should be dead suffocated by toxic gases.We're now located behind Kalugen's Keep. If we weren't awed enough by the view, we get to see that Kalugen uses the volcano as a way to dispose of wastes from the sewer system. Smart guy.Across the lava lake are three "islands" of basalt linked by narrow bridges. The first is linked by two bridges, the second island has a temple with hags mocking us and directing a flock of Dirges toward us. If they are in the middle of the lake, we're seeing them cackling from a distance of 1 km. We have good sight.The Dirges are approaching. They are floating on the hot air currents at high speed. We're offered to use an item. Why not? We're told to use our ice jewel, thanks Kief. Calling upon its power, we create enough cold air to stop the currents that allow the Dirge to sustain themselves above the lava and they plummet to their death. The Hags are nonplussed.We reach the areas with the two bridges. One is plain and simple, the other passes under a statue of a gargoyle pouring water from its mouth in a huge cascade. An ominous voice tells us to choose to face what we fear most, or a face a lesser foe.(142) Each character must choose a bridge.I guess that the waterfall path is the safest, since it's obviously the worst-looking. Let's have our character go. Trixie is first. She goes under the waterfall, and she feels groped by invisible hands...That would be bad, but let's remember that at no point the book asked us for our gender, an all-boy team must be expected....and we're asked to roll Awareness (8, a success).Not only do we manage to avoid the hands that are trying to take our possessions, but we manage to catch a bottle of a deadly poison called chimera's spit.The briges reunite beside the waterfall. Apparently, the waterfall doesn't add anything to the path.The hags summon a foe for us to fight on the bridge. In this case, they summon Hurondus the Blind, whom we killed in a duel several years ago. It's a spellcaster, and they say that only one of us will emerge with life. Let's do that, then...Horondus the Blind, FP 7,  PA 8, Awareness 7, HP 12. He has memorized a spell called sword thrust, that he cast by rolling 2d6+2 under his PA and deals 2d6+2 damage. We are not told that failing to cast a spell makes the task easier for him next turn. Esmeralda is really a kick-ass spellcaster.Except she isn't there and we must fight alone.Round 1Trixie attacks, succeeds (7) for 1 damage (Enemy HP left: 11)Horondus tries to cast his spell, 13, and misses.Trixie does her bonus attack (5) and inflicts 2 damage (Enemy HP left: 9)Round 2:Trixie attacks, misses 8. Horondus attacks, misses (14).Round 3:Trixie attacks (4) and inflicts... 1 damage.Horondus casts his spell (12).Round 4:Trixie attacks (4), inflicts 2 damage (6 HP left)Horondus cast his spell 6, and inflicts... 5 damage (!), reduced to 3 by armour.At least the damage dice were fair in being uniformy low.Round 5 (after an hour or so of fencing...)Trixie attacks (2) and inflicts 3 damage (HP 3 vs Trixie's 9)We're told that after casting his spell, Horondus fights with his sword.This is quite stupid, since he does only 1d6 of damage.He rolls 7, hits but our armour absorbs the 1 damage.Round 6:Both miss.Round 7:Trixie attacks and inflicts 5 damage, killing Horondus.I guess we'll pass through the waterfall-less bridge from now on.Apparently, the hags are playing fair enough that they don't attack us before all of us have crossed. How nice of them.</blockquote>

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