Quote from Contuna >>

Torrin seems to have zoned out again, staring at the spear, before snapping to and sticking his hand out, "Torrin Delmirev, pleasure to meet you, despite the locale"

 Mother Lazarus gives a a proper bow and takes his hand warmly.

"well, no sense in dallying, there's Demons to slay" and with that Torrin hefts his spear and shield, and strolls towards the exit ((ooc I can't remember, is there an exit besides the door we came in from??))

ML will bring up the rear scanning in all directions up and down.

A halfling wizard, dressed in dark blue robes, embroidered with various arcane symbols and sigils, stepped forward. 

"I apologize, madam, I was distracted." He holds his hand out, "I am Zanver Misthands, Diviner of the Third Circle."

He continued with some information, "A word of caution, most of the doors here cost something for us to pass through: a touch of our life or magic. These are intended to weaken us as we progress. This is a Demon Queen's Iron Fortress, after all. I imagine she does not want uninvited guests coming to her seat of power. I imagine she does not have any guests at all actually."

Quote from Beneficence >>

A halfling wizard, dressed in dark blue robes, embroidered with various arcane symbols and sigils, stepped forward. 

"I apologize, madam, I was distracted." He holds his hand out, "I am Zanver Misthands, Diviner of the Third Circle."

He continued with some information, "A word of caution, most of the doors here cost something for us to pass through: a touch of our life or magic. These are intended to weaken us as we progress. This is a Demon Queen's Iron Fortress, after all. I imagine she does not want uninvited guests coming to her seat of power. I imagine she does not have any guests at all actually."

 ML gives a bow of introductions. "It is an honor to meet you Master Misthands" ML responds. "I am known as Mother Lazarus, but you may call me Janisse."

(OOC: Sorry, I missed this. The gate you came through is the only apparent entrance or exit).

((that's okay lol, and we already searched the room pretty thoroughly right?? I remember the ceiling but Idk about the rest))

"Alright, back to the other door it is then." Sylzet says. "...Or the statue. But I'd rather try my luck at the door first." She shrugs as she heads back for the gate they came in then... looking it over to see if it's still a portal, or if they have to pay *each* time they go through it.

There wasn't a lot of in depth searching, but at first glance, nothing of interest is readily apparent. Now that she's had a chance to recover, Mother Lazarus finds herself in a room whose architecture is odd and off-putting, like being on the inside of a crystalline growth. The smell of sulfur and fungus is powerful, though the smell of fungus is starting to fade. Straight lines and slowly bubbling pools of lava flow slowly in seemingly crafted channels. There are three levels to the room. On the lowest level, just barely visible from where you're at on the highest level is what could be a door. It's rectangular, about 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide, covered with scribblings in Abyssal, arranged in a triangular pattern, at the center of which is a single word in Abyssal. However, a glowing green rune, that Mother Lazarus recognizes as associated with the warlock by whom she was captured.

From Sylzet's point of view, this side of the door appears identical to the side they came in from, and it seems likely they could just present the knucklebone and open the gate in the same way they came in.

She holds up the knucklebone to the door then, impatiently tapping her foot while waiting for the magic.

"I have seen this rune before" Mother Lazarus states to no one in particular." I believe it belongs to the Warlock who placed me where you found me." ML waits for Syzlets magic to manifest itself before she attempts a spell of her own.

As before, when Sylzet presents the knucklebone to the door with the intent to pass, the door begins to lash out with a green flame towards her, but, also as before, before touching her it's pulled back into the glowing greed warlock's rune. The rune expands and creates a circular portal that any proficient spellcaster would recognize as a dimension door effect.

Torrin strides through the door, spear held up, preparing for anything that might have entered the hallway since they left

Sylzet follows Torrin, chuckling. "Ever onwards, our platinum shield." She says with a dry tone before glancing back to Lazarus and jerking her head forward to silently call for her to follow them too.

Mother Lazarus follows quietly.

Through the gate, the heroes find themselves in the same corridor they entered through. They stand in the center of the massive corridor, seemingly sized for giants. The corridor is brightly lit by green flames that hover along unmarked stone walls, burning without a torch or any visible physical source. It is 30 feet wide and tall, the walls and ceiling made of unmarked, solid stone. The floor, made of a marble whose color is indeterminate due to the green flame.

To the right the end of the corridor is capped in one enormous gate, about 20 feet tall and wide. The door is covered in Abyssal, that is writ so large it is clearly visible despite the distance, but, as with the door behind them, there does not appear to be any coherent sentence structure. Instead, it is mostly insane scribblings arranged in a figure eight of concentric circles. At the center of the door is the name of Damagh Al'um, and arranged around the name at significant points according to some kind of profane geometry are what appear to be other names, each written in a circle around a gem, all but one glowing with harsh green light. Botwoon, Crocomire, He Who Laughs, Kraid, Phantoon, and Tanin, surround glowing gems, but the gem encircled by the name Torizo is cracked and dull.

Directly across from the heroes is another door like the one they just passed through, around 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide that is also decorated with insane scribblings of Abyssal, but arranged in a simple circle with two lines of runes with no apparent meaning. In the center of the circle, the warlock's glowing green rune has been scratched. It is clearly not an original part of the door and added much later.

Finally, to the left of the heroes, dominating the end of the hall looms a massive statue of a giant monster that seems all teeth and tentacles and claws, and just looking at it is discomforting.

Torrin Gazes down the hall at the statue, "I still say we don't do anything with that statue, that thing oozes corruption. Shall we see what other riches this room holds??". As he says that he starts making his way over to the door across from them, knucklebone at the ready.

"Aye. Door it is." Sylzet follows Torrin, greatsword at the ready. She gives a soft grin, finally revealing her fangs to Torrin, should he turn to notice.

Viewing the unique splendor for what it is Mother Lazarus breathes a silent prayer and follows her new comrades.

"Onward, to glory" Torrin returns Sylzet's grin with one of his own, revealing his draconic fangs as he presses the knucklebone to the door and steps through.