30/08/5-10

Arriving first at the gates of the Solar Forge were Sapphira and Dobrovnik, who saw Edgar and another smith trying to hold the doors open. Edgar saw them and waved them over and as they approached, they delt the stink of rotting ,as if in a damp swamp, fill the air.  Valeyo and Cassini appeared through a dimension door and Shiek and Milivoj got there soon after. Edgar told them that the large archway had been turned into a portal and more creatures are coming in. The group rushed in to see a large ape-like creature eating the severed arm of one of the sun guard. Milivoj and Shiek charged it. From further away a deep voice was heard calling out, "Your world will be mine!". They knew something was afoot and so quickly dispatched the ape creature before proceeding to the main forge. There they could see groups black oozes they had seen before, but more importantly, was the enormous arch which had turned into a portal on the other side of which was an endless foul swamp. Through the fight another silhouette became visible through the portal. A huge creature of black and green ooze covered in red eyes. Luckily a psychic lance managed to take the moss out and close the portal, before the large creature could get through.

Eventually they cleared out the rest of the demons. The group ran back to the door and Valeyo told Edgar to open it back up. They told him and the Sun Guard about the demons making doors into portals and that the moss must be destroyed as it could threaten the whole city. The Sun Guard started running to warn others. Edgar asked if they needed to rest, but Valeyo insisted they go to Otto's as there could be more trouble in his house with all of the windows. Milivoj warned Edgar about having hit the arch a few times, but the smith waved it away.

In the rest of the city, there was still conflict and bodies were scattered around the streets, half-melted, but no signs of other portals. Soon after, they arrived at Otto's home. There were signs of a fight on the exterior and the walls and windows were shuttered. Valeyo knocked and Otto's sister in law opened. She welcomed them in and Valeyo asked if they were all right. She nodded and said Otto protected them. She then mentioned that Otto was much more dangerous now that she remembered. Valeyo laughed and told her he was a chosen of Sardior, he could take care of himself. She went back inside and came back a minute later with a bag, before telling them that Otto left some things for them. He was still out helping, but he wanted them to have the items. They included a diamond, a Dream Seed and two scrolls (True Seeing and Magic Circle). They told her to take care and that they will be heading to the lower levels to help others.

They reached a central square area, where people were evacuated to. They spread around to start helping, when a Sun Guard pointed at them and a more senior member of the guard began walking in their direction. The man was an older dwarf, who gathered them together and asked to speak to them. To their surprise, he lead them to the Hawk's castle, the Nest and introduced himself as Head Spear Goran He thanked them for their help and said he was trying to deduce what was happening here and needed them to speak to someone he had looking into it. They asked who this expert was and were told it was one Arcanist Trevor, a local dwarf mage. Valeyo was uneasy hearing they were facing an Arcanist, but they agreed to be led to the man's office. There they saw a surprisingly young dwarven man in a robe bearing the mark of the Conclave. He introduced himself as Trevor, the Arcanist in Charge of Extraplanar Threats. Valeyo recognized this as Saxel's former title. The man asked if they knew what activated the Alkiliths, the moss creatures. He told them that Alkiliths would infest and area and grow, until they are large enough to open portals to the Abyss. Valeyo told him they had seen it happen at the forge. The man asked where it lead, specifically. The group couldn't tell him exactly, but said it was likely a place called the Dark Swamp. His eyes lit up and he asked if it was the Formless, the Glistener, Juiblex a creature of many names. Valeyo said he didn't know and right as Shiek went to say that the Glistener sounded familiar, he glared at him and Shiek managed to stop himself. Ultimately Trevor said this sounded like it was related to the other attacks, he then dismissed them. On the way out, Goran told them to drop by the Sun's Bastion l to get a reward.

Once they left Valeyo apologized to cutting Shiek off, and told him he didn't wish to share more than needed with the Arcanist. They then started talking about this Glistener and Valeyo and Shiek recognized the name of Juiblex, the demon lord of slimes, who exists to devour. Shiek wondered how it got to the cable cart, assuming that someone must have brought it on purpose. Dubrovnik said the moss had already been there when he arrived a couple of weeks ago, but he never went to the forge, so he didn't know it was there. Valeyo wondered how Dr Stanov knew about the attack, but Dubrovnik hadn't been told that.

They talked a little bit about Dubrovnik' summoned mount and Valeyo told him they could help him meet Dr Stanov quicker if he wanted to come down south with them. They agreed to meet with Dobrovnik tomorrow to go to the Sun's Bastion and get the Teleportation Circle from the Town Hall. They also needed to speak to Otto tonight, to see what his plans were exactly.