2.) Closest Tube Stops--Kentish Town, Tufnell Park, Caledonian Rd., and Camden Rd. Overground (Mildmay), also a brief bus ride from Euston Station, St. Pancras/King's X, or Finsbury Park

3.) Buses: 29, 253, 390, 393

The seventh, outermost ring, is broken.

Further discussion with Quick-Claw and Bent-Tooth seem to indicate that the breaking of the 1st circle and the increased volcanic activity coincided with the arrival/wrecking of the Muntjac and the opening of the shrine door.

First I tarried a night

lit a merry blaze to dispel the haze

and warm my aching bones

The fire was a sight, but it had no might

For my next round I found something more sound

To make it burn hot but not bright

Last of all, so things went well

I wished to evoke a pleasant smell

That would bring good cheer

On an evening drear

In this way, and no more

My flames opened a door

And while they banished my fear

The way remained clear

After some discussion, the party concludes that the braziers must be lit in order from North to South using a corresponding bit of kindling. First, Vee threw in a helping of dry leaves and lit it with Control Flame, igniting a larger flame than any of us expected. Thomdor, who had just finished talking about lighting his own fires with dry forest scatterings, had his mighty beard scorched and singed at its ends due to peering into the brazier as it was ignited. After now backing away safely, the second was ignited by charcoal and the third by the resin; both with similarly great flames.

The heavy door slowly opens as the flames roar. Revealing a crumbling room with a large chasm in the middle. A subtle red and orange emanates from the crack as heat from magma fills the room. There is a caved-in entrance with some round disc-like gold object protruding from it and an another pile of rocks on top of what appears to be a small humanoid.

We enter and one by one hop the chasm (except Amos who is thrown like dodgeball by Merutar). Berk barely makes his jump and cackles as it dawns on him how close he was to fall into the one hole of magma within this cave.

The door begins to close, the dry leaves did not burn long and the fire has gone out. Vee rushes to the entrance and keeps up the leaf flame, but realises how short our timer now is.

Berk wanders over to the caved-in doorway to investigate its lodged item, while the rest of the party (minus Vee) investigate the rockfall and the body beneath it. They identify them as Quick Claw who is, luckily, still breathing although they are dying.

Before any of the party can continue, two fiery creatures emerge from the chasm. Winged magma beasts (mephits) rush over to the party members within the cave.

Berk puts one to sleep then rejoins the party. Amos and Thomdor begin attempting to get Quick Claw out from under the rocks but are struggling due to the weight. As one goes to attack it kicks the other awake, but still leaving him on the ground prone. Clanging off of Merutar's shield. After a round of attacks one Mephit goes down and explodes. Vee ensnares the other, keeping it prone. They attempt to spit fire but don't do enough damage to down any party member. In this moment of no movement the team picks Quick Claw out of the rubble, and Thomdor throws him over his shoulder.

Two snakes slither out of the chasm They each have some form of high heat concentrated within them, ready to strike.

The doors begin to close as Vee runs out of leaves to upkeep the fire with.

Berk and one get locked in battle, missing each other with every attack. Vee attempts an assist from the entrance but due to poor luck thunks Berk in the stomach with an arrow.

Merutar and Amos dispatch of one of the snakes as Thomdor jumps across the chasm carrying Quick Claw.

Berk, worried about time and realising his stalemate tries to take his chances with fleeing away from the snake. Immediately is bitten and his legs rapidly is heated, causing him to go unconscious.

Vee calls out my fall, causing Thomdor to return to Berk's aid, throwing him on the opposite shoulder to the kobold. But as Thomdor crosses the chasm again he barely fails the jump, dropping both bodies with a hard thud and knocking himself prone.

The remaining Mephit frees themself from the druid's spell and pounces on Thomdor fully pinning him to the floor. Vee heals Berk enough to cause him to wake and see the creature above him, towering over Thomdor (whose remaining beard is getting singed and burnt off more and more). Berk attempts to help but fails his attack once more.

Amos drags out Quick Claw and Berk finally leaves with a disengage. Thomdor unfortunately goes down to the beast on top.

From the doorway Berk finally lands a Vicious Mockery and curses the fiery beasts by all the Gods Berk is aware of. Finally Thomdor is dragged out of the room, stable but still down.

The door closes and the party is glad to be on the right side of it.

Many ages ago, this was one land. The Winterborn, the Evergreen, the Scaled Ones, the Blackfangs, all lived in harmony. But over time, they and their gods waxed covetous. War came, and remained. Many died, many were enslaved. The people offered sacrifice, and asked “will there not come one among us to end this strife?”

Their prayers were answered. Imix, the Burning Prince, rode down on his chariot of smoke and ash. With his flaming sword, he smote the land, cutting what was one into five, saying in Azltan there will be raised great temples, in Evergreen the ancient groves will flourish, in Winterborn there will be song and feasting, and Blackfang shall be the place of hunting and herding.

His work done, the Lord of Flame took rest in his great mountain, and bid that none disturb his slumber. Said he this: “I have given unto each a land of plenty. Be thankful and covet not thy neighbour’s boon. But should ye trespass, I will scald thee unto ruin.”

The party goes to leave the cave and discovers that the exit has been blocked by the shifting of the volcano. There are three distinct areas of obstacles; a lava run, bouts of unpredictable steam, and towers of volcanic rock that we would need to climb over. As we start to make our way forward, the closed door behind us starts to move and there is the sense that something big and scary is trying to get through.

Amos and Merutar (carrying Quick Claw) make it across the lava easily. Vee and Thomdor find it a little harder but all make it through. The steam is even more problematic for Vee and Thomdor, who get scalded, blinded and knocked unconscious. Eventually, we get through and are at the foot of the stacks of rocks. As we climb, the ground starts to shake and the bellowing from behind us grows louder. We all proceed to fall off the rocks as we jump from one stack to the next, Merutar falls and manages to cushion Quick Claw as she does so. Thomdor and Vee both fall, rendering themselves unconscious. We eventually crawl out, chastened by our own inability to leave without hurting ourselves numerous times in the process.

We take a long rest, each of us taking a watch. The only person to see something is Thomdor, who glimpses a creature sneaking around, with the firelight shining off big, luminous eyes.

In the morning, Quick Claw (a Plumed Serpent worshipper from his token) is sufficiently recovered to talk about his experience in the caves. He was hunting in the area when something called to him from the cave. It knew his name and sent him into the cave, lighting the braziers and taking the disc from the door. When he picked it up then, it was not broken. He went into the chamber beyond the door when the ground started to shake and he was hit by falling rubble. When he was doing all that, it was like he was watching himself do it.

There is some concern in the group, especially from Amos, about whether Quick Claw's possession(?) was intended to release the creature behind the door and whether the disc was a seal that was keeping it inside. We still don't know how it could have been broken so precisely. Amos's main concern was that it may not be the only one and that whatever is doing this is finding other people like Quick Claw to open other doors. In return for his rescue, Quick Claw gives us an obsidian dagger that he found near the Forbidden Caves.

We take Quick Claw back to the village, where there is another fire ceremony taking place. Vee and Merutar get affected by the smoke again. Ash Tongue speaks (see The Tale of Fire and Freedom) and the villagers dance. Bent Tooth and Bugstomper see us and beckon us over for food, before they see Quick Claw and celebrate his return.

Ash Tongue calls this the season of sacrifice and Bent Tooth stands forward to offer himself to flame. We stop this from happening and are given a choice: Bent Tooth, Quick Claw or the caged Alicia. Amos sacrifices the gift of the dagger in place of them and we are told that this has just delayed the decision. We will have to choose before sunset tomorrow.

We go to a hut to discuss and decide that we will leave in the night and take Alicia with us. We will leave a note saying that Imix spoke to us and that we have to take her to the volcano as the fire is not sufficient. Unfortunately, as we are preparations for springing Alicia from her cage, we are spotted by Ash Tongue who does not believe that Imix spoke to us and we have to pivot. Somehow, we manage to convince her that we need to take Alicia to the Forbidden Caves to sacrifice her and only have Ash Tongue herself and one of her minions, a very small kobold, as our escorts. The party sets off.