The hobgoblin eyes the group warily, but leads them past the rubble-strewn room and down the stairs beyond. The hall widens to form a domed chamber supported by four obsidian columns laced with fiery cracks. Wall sconces hold torches lit with dancing flames, and the smoky air is oppressively warm.
Suddenly a form moves away from one of the walls, carrying an enormously long spear whose tip burns as brightly as one of the torches. Clad in metal armor, the overlapping plates of steel seem to meet at lines of molten metal, giving it the marbled appearance of unevenly melting iron. A bright orb embedded in the chest piece flares with its own light, illuminating a hard face under a heavy helm and circular goggles. As it approaches, a similarly clad figure shifts in its place on the south wall.
"And who are these?" the figure asks imperiously, turning her implacable gaze to Squelch.
"I don't know," the hobgoblin shrugs,
"they showed the sign, the boss told me to bring them down. Can I go?" The guard seems uncomfortable in the heat of the chamber, and sweat trickles down his forehead.
The figure motions the hobgoblin away in an arrogant dismissal, then turns to the new arrivals.
"Well?" she asks impatiently. The hobgoblin turns to go back up the stairs.
Map updated.