On this day, we re-assembled much the same personages as our last foray, losing only Tistislium and Inlaw, and adding a pair of newcomers to the region in their stead – a wizard named Selwyn, and Oliphas, an outdoorsman.

We entered the Monastery and descended into the Otherworld without incident.
Upon arrival, we discovered that the remains of our slain mud-demons seemed to have dissolved…or been deliberately cleansed and removed.

Our party quickly headed in the direction of the previous banging noises, leading to a chamber of cruelty, where a crew of the bestial goblins held and had been torturing a handful of the regular goblins. In short order, the Red Ones were disposed of. A few implements were pocketed, to see about resale value. The victims were left temporarily, for we could not possibly escort them about through this outpost.

Opposite the torture room, Irem heard noises, and we massed before flinging the door…only to be greeted by a painful volley of sharp bolts. I closed the door and we considered our response. It took the form of oil lobbed through a slight crack in the door, followed by a mass charge. This overwhelmed the majority of our foes, though a few squirmed free and ran for it. We pursued briefly, until being forced to admit but a few of us were too laden to keep pace.

Guards were set at the passage unto which they had disappeared, while the remnant of our number investigated the room we had conquered. It was a singular area, to be sure. The place contained portraits on the wall, veiled by draperies. Most of the ‘portraits’ – perhaps ‘gateways’ would be more accurate – seemed to lead to or contain one the four elements of matter. One, however, led into what seemed to be a storage room of wizardly and alchemical implements. We gathered what we could of value, interrupted briefly in our task by local vermin, and returned to Enonia, being rather wounded at the time. In our haste to be gone before reinforcements arrived and carry away as much as we could, we left behind the prisoners, for which we received a scolding from Averin, upon our return.

After waiting out a terrible deluge of rain lasting days, we went North and Below again.
In a new direction, we found a huge hallway, lined with statues of stone. Adventurer’s Paranoia produced fears of medusae or animated statues. To worsen our fears, the statues were in poses of horror and terror, rendered in stark detail. And further still, the main bodies of the statues were ascertained to be of clearly different material than the bases to which they were attached. Our nerve crumbled – nay, disintegrated – and we proceeded in this direction no further.

We returned to the main entry hall and selected the third, and only unexplored, branch – the direction the savage goblins had fled. There existed a strange flickering quality not far in this direction. Though we considered and probed for traps and delusional magic, naught was discovered. Continuing along, the walls became rough natural stone, contrasting with the smooth, worked surfaces encountered previous. With this evidence, we theorized the flickering to be an imperfect spatial linkage to another place.

Our lofty thoughts were soon interrupted by yet another barrage of pointed shafts launched by the accursed red goblins. Belying their beastly appearance, they have proven to be progressively more and more organized and militaristic in nature. With their formations and powerful crossbows, the battle was viscous and desperate. Several in our front ranks were hurt greatly, spells were employed, oil lobbed, and formations charged, before we emerged victorious. After this great clash, we quickly retreated home, chastened by how dangerous goblins can be, with order and numbers on their side.

The Crystal Tower appears to be advancing slowly or not at all, of late. I have naught to guide this feeling but instinct, yet I find this comforting, somehow.

Mazlor, beacon of the Light

[OOC: I don’t recall some of the order and details too well. Feel free to correct anything and I’ll edit. In the portrait room, I have 6. But if 4 were elements and 1 was the lab, what was the other? And what attacked us while we searched the lab?]