Discouraged by Morn’s momentary demise, the party camps for the night in the chambers formerly known as Uktarl’s.
Smoll leads the refreshed and revived group back to the mirror hall for another go. The plan this time is to send one adventurer through at a time, methodically engaging copies under an intense focus of ranged attacks before any strength drain can occur. Smoll goes first and experiments with different paths and avoids looking at the mirrors. The same mirrors seem to always make copies while the other mirrors never do.
Janky goes through next and tries different paths while admiring himself in all the mirrors, but again the same mirrors always make copies.
Morn leaps over the suspected floor triggers, but still the same mirrors make copies. His progress is interrupted halfway across when a chanting, laughing patrol of goblins attack Smoll and Janky on the far side. They are repelled for the moment at the cost of a couple of goblins.
Reade suggests a survey of magic detection. Togy identifies the copy-producing mirrors as conjuration magic and one other mirror as illusion magic. Friggiedi explores through the illusion but feels only empty shelves. Janky follows her lead and locates another illusion mirror on his end and finds a bronze mask which he slips on. In addition to enhancing his rugged handsomeness, the masks visage seems vaguely familiar.
When an angry roar presages the return of the fortified goblins, Morn decides to try dispelling the magic mirrors with some well-placed blasts of eldritch. The method proves highly effective, so it is open season on the conjuration mirrors. The party arranges a defense and quickly defeats the bugbear-enhanced goblin surge.
A short rest restores not only health but also drained strength.