🌋 The Cavern in the Volcano

As the new day dawned, Vixon gathered his band of volunteers and they set off for the top of the volcano. They left the safety of the town behind in the early hours of the morning, made their way to the volcano and slowly made their way up the treacherous mountainside, forced to take several detours around active streams of flowing lava. The sun was high in the sky when the party finally found the small yet distinct opening that Vixon remembered so clearly and visited nightly in his dreams.

The group took a short pause just inside the opening to gather themselves in the heat of the day and the volcano itself. Vixon rallied them, "The egg has grown warmer to the touch and the pulses have grown stronger! It senses the nest and longs to be reunited. We are close and must press on, and while the climb was hard, these tunnels present their own challenge. These tunnels create a labyrinth and it is easy to get lost. Luckily, on my last trip here, I marked each fork that I took with this symbol on the wall with a chisel and hammer: △. We will look for it and all will be well." 

The group made its way deeper and deeper into the maze... After dozens of forks, splits, twists and turns, the party came to a standstill. Fear grew amongst the party -- they were going to get lost in here with no end in sight! Several hours later, the party came to a complete standstill: there was a split in the tunnel and... no marking was to be found! 

Exclamations of frustration and despair echoed through the tunnel but Vixon kept his calm.

"I will take half of the party down the tunnel on the left, and the rest of you will go down the tunnel to the right.  Who will lead the others in my place?"

A young woman with pointed ears stepped forward -- "I will."

"Very well, Vespera. Take time and care to mark the tunnels so you can find your way out. We will reunite on the outside. Have heart and take care!" With that, Vixon took a small group and they disappeared into the darkness on the left.

The other group went right... and encountered yet another fork in the tunnels, not more than a few minutes later. With Vespera at the helm, they decided to keep going right and marked the tunnel walls accordingly. After about another hour, the tunnel opened up into a giant cavern that was lit by the hot glow of lava. It was by the light of magma that the adventurers discovered... paintings?

The walls of the cavern were strewn with illustrations of dragons! The adventurers marveled at the beauty and detail of each one. Towards the center of the cavern, they noticed two dragons, painted larger and more clearly than the rest. 

The adventurers marveled at their findings but noted the absence of any nest.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vespera noticed a perfectly circular hole in the very center of the cavern, just wide enough for one to squeeze through...