While I was fairly confident that I'd found my place on the map again, I couldn't be certain until I reached the next major landmark on the map: the Lava Chamber. I found the room itself around noon, but I could feel its effects long before then. The heat was intense enough to be felt several nodes away, which was impressive, given the distance they were from the chamber. I eventually entered a large cave-like room with a massive edifice on the far side, framing an exit that spilled a dirty orange light across the floor. The tunnel continued, somewhat broader and with a considerably thicker floor of solid nara that extended into the room and terminated in a semi-circular step decorated with colorful stone. The edifice of the doorway was a wall of huge dark stone polished to a nearly mirror-like shine, making the room seem even larger than it truly was. In the dim collected light of the lava's glow and the firemarble seated atop the node door behind me, I could make out D'ni phrases and pictograms carved into the face of the rock. Sadly, I could only guess at the meaning of the words, but the pictograms seemed to be expressing a warning about what lie ahead. Given that this path was originally intended to be used by D'ni and human alike, I imagine that the pictograms were for our benefit, and the text for the D'ni's.
I pulled out a bandana from my backpack and tied it around my face. In the process I noticed a small crate sitting in the corner of the room beside the great slab of rock framing the cave's exit. The DRC logo was stamped onto the side, and within it I found a few sets of protective gear. I grabbed one and pulled it on without hesitation: any protection is better than just a bandana across one's mouth when you're dealing with magma...
The heat was beyond intense. I wondered to myself what level of madness the D'ni must have been experiencing to think that this would be a good idea – or even just a not-completely-terrible one. I walked as quickly as I dared across the broad bridge that spanned the chamber, trying not to look down at the lake of molten rock beneath me. The air shimmered in front of me, and the hazy outline of the exit danced as I watched it. The glow of the magma, combined with the dryness of the air and the incredible heat, made my eyes water. I looked back briefly the entrance and noticed that the rubber wheels on the wagon were beginning to melt, and had left skid marks along the bridge where the rubber had been dragged off of the tires. Suddenly, I remembered the section of The Book of Atrus that detailed Atrus and Gehn's crossing of this bridge and the mention of a missing section, and I had a brief moment of panic before managing to make out the rest of the bridge. It was certainly not still intact, but the last span had been bridged by a more reliable suspension scaffold that held up a set of thin concrete slabs. It was wobbly, and I was worried for a while that the wagon wheels would melt completely on the less heat-resistant material, causing it to become unstable and fall, but I made it across with all of my gear, and without incident.
Ten minutes later I was clear of the worst of the heat, but the heavy sulfur had drifted down the tunnel from the lava chamber, and my initial attempts to remove my helmet resulted in a bit of unpleasant gagging at the stench, so I left it on until I was in the next room. If the room preceding the lava chamber had been impressive, this was stunning. Not quite on the same engineering level as the Great Shaft, but still a feat requiring considerable skill, craftsmanship, and above all, artistry.
The room was bisected just after the entrance by a wall of polished rock, not unlike that of the edifice in the previous room. The nara pathway terminated just beyond it in another round step that stood at the base of a great mosaic depicting a massive tree. Pathways sprang from the trunk and branched off in all directions, leaving the room to form a network of tunnels through the surrounding rock. The top of the tree mosaic, at the far side of the room, depicted the glow of the sun, with a single ray sprouting from the top to continue on down the main path. Despite its worn and damaged appearance, it was remarkably beautiful. But the beauty did not stop there. The wall which bisected the room was engraved with countless lines of D'ni text and pictograms, depicting prominent figures and events from D'ni's history, as well as icons which I could only assume were meant to indicate the open trade between D'ni and the surface dwellers that the Path had originally been intended to foster. On the side facing into the room, the symbols continued, with a section beside the door reserved for the same warning text and pictograms as those on the entrance to the lava chamber I had come from.
I have found the Southern Gate. Once again, I am in D'ni. From here, the way will likely become easier, and also more difficult. The network of connected passageways will make it more likely for me to get lost, but the odds of serious, impassable collapse are greatly diminished as a result. Although, if the path retains the golden color given to it by the mosaic, following it shouldn't be difficult. Besides, there should be signs at some point saying "Ae'Gura is this way". I believe I will camp here for the night, and spend the rest of the afternoon recovering from my trip through the lava chamber and exploring this incredible room.
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