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136Perception CheckDC 15: Although the walls of the hole appear smooth,closer inspection reveals that they were cut with tools, withuncanny precision.Characters who fall down a shaft take 10d10 fallingdamage, and ongoing 20d6 fire damage upon fallinginto the magma and for each round they remain inthe magma. Characters who extract themselves fromthe fiery mess take 30 ongoing fire damage and areslowed (save ends both).Area 3: VentsHellkiln’s instability afflicts the island with frequentquakes, causing the rock to split and unleash plumesof steam. Any square within 2 squares of a vent islightly obscured.Each vent narrows as it deepens until it ends ata slender crack through which superheated gasesescape. Each vent is 1d10 squares deep; a PC whofalls in one takes normal falling damage plus 20 firedamage from the scalding gas in each round he orshe remains in the vent.Area 4: CalderaAt the top of the slope, the caldera rises nearly 200feet straight up from the island, forming a cylinder ofstone.When the PCs reach the top of the island, read:The air is noxious here, and the stench is almost unbearable.Plumes of smoke spew out of this natural chimney, litby flashes of light or the occasional wad of molten rock thatis ejected from the cone and lands far out to sea.Climbing the caldera is difficult and requires a DC20 Athletics check. The stone is hot and deals 5 firedamage per round to unprotected climbers.After they reach the top of the caldera’s rim, the characterscan descend into the volcano.Perception CheckDC 20: On the opposite side of the caldera, you spot aniron ladder descending into the volcano.The PCs can move slowly along the caldera’s lip toreach the ladder, or they can try climbing downthe walls or using another means at their disposal.Navigating the lip is slow and treacherous, requiringa DC 10 Acrobatics check to move at half speed.After the PCs reach the ladder, they can climb downit by making a DC 10 Athletics check. The ladderdescends to area 5.Climbing down the wall without the aid of theladder requires a DC 25 Athletics check.CHAPTER 3 | Dragon LairsInside the caldera, the heat from the volcano deals5 fire damage to a character for each round he or shespends in the area.A fall from any height is likely to be lethal, droppingthe character into the sea of fire (area 7). A PCtakes appropriate falling damage plus damage fromthe magma as described under area 2.Area 5: Crucible (Level 18)This area is home to the azer slaves that work forthe dragon, constructing the doomsday weapon thatInfernus intends to loose on his former homeland.The azers have not completed the device, nor are theyeven close. In truth, they have no ill will toward thedragon’s enemies and are being forced to serve Infernusagainst their wishes.Characters who land on this ledge trigger thetactical encounter. Combat is the likely result, butthe PCs might find a way to avoid that outcome. Theazers protect themselves and the device, but theycan be convinced to avoid fighting and even to assistthe party. If you’d rather avoid depleting the PCs’resources before they face the dragon, you can resolvethis encounter as a skill challenge. Negotiation orinterrogation are the logical approaches, but youcould construct a skill challenge of your own design.Give the skill challenge a level equal to the PCs’ leveland a complexity of 5.Tactical Encounter: “The Weapon,” page 138.Treasure: Hidden in the sleeping pallets are4,000 gp and five diamonds (5,000 gp each).Area 6: Dragon’s Lair (Level 22)Infernus dwells on a shelf just above the molten coreof the volcano. Even a dragon as mighty as he couldnot withstand a full eruption of the volcano, buthe is confident that he could fly out in time if thatoccurred.Reaching the dragon’s ledge is challenging. Theazers never descend that far and have no way to reachit themselves. The most difficult method is to climbdown 100 feet from the lip of the caldera and thendrop down another 30 feet to the ledge. However,PCs who are experienced enough to invade thislair probably have other means of transportation bywhich to reach the dragon’s ledge.Tactical Encounter: “The Dragon’s Lair,” page140.Area 7: Sea of FireThe bottom of the volcano is a sea of magma that lies200 feet below the rim of the caldera. Characterswho fall into the magma take appropriate fallingdamage plus damage from the magma as describedunder area 2.JASON A. ENGLE