Damnation

As you slowly come to your senses after your unexpected relocation even your intoxication fails to mask the pungent smell of the thick sulfuric fumes that surround you. Your eyes sting of the hot air as you blink carefully to assess the predicament you must evidently have ended up in.
 
You find yourself in some sort of birdcage that is barely large enough to hold your body. As you flex your limbs that stick out of the cage you feel the motionless limbs of a neighbouring captive. It would probably have been reassuring to know you’re not alone, were it not for the constant piercing wails of woe that you now become aware of.
 
The fumes clear up for a brief moment and you observe at least a dozen cages like yours hanging just above a pit with a pool of lava at the bottom that emanates waves of heat that make the hairs on your skin burn right of. The cages hang from spiked chains that are held in a knot by a colossal statue of some sort of devilish creature that you do not recognize at the edge of the pit. A creature slightly smaller but much alike stands at the other end of the pit with its back and tail towards you, its body wreathed in wings and flames.
 
It doesn’t seem to notice you as it moves about growling infernal commands and incantations as it performs strange rituals. The thrill of discovery keeps you from succumbing to the heat waves and sulfuric fumes as your gaze meets a long obsidian erect worm-shaped pillar to its right with a vast array of ancient writings on it that seem to ominously hum and glow with dark magical properties. On it you recognize two inactive sections of writings that you have seen before… one in Brinewall castle and one on the temple above the Brinewall outpost. The creature taps on these sections of writing as it is angrily speaking to someone. Your eyes swerve to its left find its collocutor and you discover five mostly medium and humanoid stone statues lined up with the top half of the statues somehow animated with the transdimensional presence of others. Their facial expressions show utter agony and pain as the animated top halves of the statues keep contorting on each spoken word of the creature. One of them in particular catches your attention as it speaks in a familiar voice “... and now only a few of the so-called Brindinford heroes remain and they are far too preoccupied and outnumbered to care about our endeavors, oh Great Lord of Corruption. Our mechanisms of misdirection are in place and nothing prevents me anymore from working on the activation of the writings…” He is cut short as the creature almost crushes the stone statue in one of its fiery claws and growls “Quiet human! Thanks to you, Samuel, they live to tell their tale and work to unravel our schemes! I will send reinforcements to reverse the damage you have brought upon us. Now, Armus, tell us of your status.” But as one of the other statues replies “Great Lord, we haven’t even been excavated yet so...”, another one suddenly sticks out a contorted arm and points in your direction as it shrieks “Great Lord! When did you come into possession of a second Morningstar?!”
 
Your vision finally blurs of heat and exhaustion as the creature now slowly turns toward you, but you can still make out a menacing laugh as it slowly approaches you. Although blurry you sense heat and a strong sense of despair as one of its arms reaches out to your cage. Paralysis sets in as the creature’s touch moves closer and your cage starts to descend rapidly just before you are whisked away, back to the comfort of your friends again.