Expansion: Hellrise

The three of you watch with varying degrees of horror and fascination as the blindingly bright circle widens to the width of a dinner table, then a wagon, and finally started to slow as it grew into pond territory. There seemed to be a membrane of sorts covering the opening and it stretched as hands, claws, and limbs you had no name for pressed against it from the other side. You were a demon yourself and this was terrifying to behold. Hell is not something that one remembers lightly and you'd been in the mortal realm for so long all you recall is a crushing blackness full of pain and misery. That gateway scared the shit out of you.

"What is it?" Your judgment of the priestess's intellect sank like a stone, "What does it look like!?" You nearly scream, "It's a gateway to Hell!" They were so surprised by your announcement you weren't even reprimanded, "Mary? What kind of loot do you think we could get from hell?" You almost attack her on principle: out of all the things she should be worried about, that was what she was concerned with?! You are reminded why you hate heroes so much. Stupid, illogical, conniving...

"I'd be more worried about the demons that might be coming out Lisa" The apparently sane knight takes a tentative step back as a particularly strong bolt discharges into the sky, "We should leave..."

"But just think of what we could find! We could sell it for however much gold we want! We're the first here!" You face palm so hard you give yourself a headache. Or maybe that was from her stupidity. You were planning on getting the hell out of dodge (no pun intended) ASAP. Although now that you think about it you didn't have all that far to run: far as you knew you still couldn't pass edge of the zone... and that meant you'd be stuck between an impenetrable wall and a freaking Hell Gate. You wrack your brain: What could get me out of the zone...? Heroes! Of course!

Unfortunately before you can open up negotiations with Dum and Dummer the gateway gives a final roar and the murky film bursts, kicking off the MOTHER of all lightning arcs. Red light blasts through the forest, incinerating trees, vaporizing spiders in the canopy, and unfortunately also striking you. The pain is indescribable, the world disappears in searing white and all you can think of is that crushing blackness waiting for you...