| 157 Before you extends a massive cavern, hewn as rough stone and bathed in a deep red light. The floor is 3 metres below the level of the entranceway you are standing in, and from this vantage you can see large pools of molten gold and silver on the floor below. Within these pools islands of precious stones float precariously, long ago destroyed by the heat but fused together. Spouting from vents in the northern wall are fountains of molten rock which wend their way in rivers to a huge hole in the centre of the cavern. Most of the Deep Vault is obscured by steam and a thick fog of sulphurous gas that bubbles noisily from a number of vents in the floor. It is a vision of the underworld come to life and one that, if you had a choice, you would have no wish to enter. The noise and heat is temporarily forgotten however, as you marvel at the sight of untold quantities of liquid treasure. Whatever the contents of this treasure house had once been, it is now reduced by the heat and flames to a molten mess that lays in great pools about the floor and in places disappears into cracks in its surface. You consider that to recover such a treasure will be very difficult indeed. Turning away from the heat for a moment you see that the archway you are standing in once held two large doors similar to those at the other end of the passage. Now all that remains is the limp reminders of some melted iron bands and a few shards of charred timber. When you turn back into the cavern you are startled by unexpected movement. Something is climbing out of the cavern's central pit.
| Turn to section 191.
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