Mentally to the group: "Thank you for looking out for my interests, Toc, but I have no idea how you know I need to visit the tower above us. I do indeed seek something within and I am afraid I cannot agree to leaving this disk city behind without searching the tower. So, this might serve as an objection to Mirica's proposal."

"Also," he adds, "Toc... I made a point of not sharing my name with all of these new faces here. It was not yours to share."

"Let's not show disagreement in the ranks to outsiders," mentioned Mirica (just in case). "I am sure we can spend a few minutes searching around. However, as I recall, there was something or someone upstairs. Would not mind for our shadovar friends to make an acquaintance with the thing, but in case they disappear before the fight, be prepared to the worse."

Toc bows his head to Thyrius.  “Damn. I’m sorry. I’m a loose lipped idiot! Where’s our diplomat?!  I’ll stop speaking.”

To the group: "You should all know I seek a peculiar tome in the tower above. Should we find it, I do not trust any of the others that will be accompanying us to simply let me have it. I kindly request your help in securing the tome."

A second later: "Should we wait for Zendrak, Toc, and Margos to finish whatever ritual they are about to perform? With a bit of luck, the ritual could point to a phylactery in the tower."

Does Thyrius see anything strange with any of the dozen new characters with his true seeing/truesight?

Thyrius places a hand on Toc's shoulder: "An honest mistake. I did not mean to be too harsh."

For better or for worse in the case of Xemnez, Simmal's mental communion had not fallen on deaf ears. Yet as more arrivals and interest made themselves known, the Leonin grimaced and added more directly to Simmal, 'I don't think that's happening. Not yet.' At which point Xemnez had taken to trying to get a read on what he figured to be the key players of each party and party adjacent for a time...

'In fairness to you, Toc, it is doubted that any one of us make for good diplomats.' Xemnez glanced over to Thyrius. 'Not that I do not have some experience in the arena, or my brother for that matter. Though I confess that this all has been... far more impromptu than what I am used to dealing with. So, I will thank you for... picking up 'the slack'.' He chuffs. "This aside, if you feel... comfortable hanging back to learn the necessary keys to destroy our enemies, then the rest of us can proceed upstairs. But unless this ritual would take hours, I see no reason why we cannot wait a little longer."  

Thryius glances around the group shrewdly with his true sight.  Nope. Everything appears to be on the up and up. The older white haired woman is what she seems. Her owl is as well.  The ...well...hold on now....wait...that dude is definitely a massive shadowy dragon.

The man with black skin, black eyes, and black hair named Danvoleye appears to be a huge dragon. He's got sharp pointed scales, all black, and seems to be partially straddling the realm between shadows and reality. 

Oh yes, and that man Zendrak is definitely a gnome. He has a full skeleton of golden bones "glued" to his body at random, and a spirit has formed a full sized human body around his diminutive form. 

Oh, and that man there, the tiefling from the other party, has a strange "symbol" floating behind him partially on the astral plane.  The symbol seems to regard Thyrius in return.  

Yes yes, right, other than that, everyone here is totally normal. Oh, except Tic is a magical illusion, made partially real through some powerful magic. His clothes and equipment are real enough however.

That's it. (The DM thinks....) 

"You don't have to ask. If that tome is something shadoavar want - they should not get it, regardless of whether or not any of us need it." Mirica definitely did not like Dastanyar and his allies. "Any hints on how the tome looks like? And - pure curiosity! - how did you know it is here, being a newcomer to the realm?" Whether Thyrius answered or not, she added her opinion about the waiting. "We can not shake off the shadovar even if we wait for the rest of the groups to join. But it looks like the other group really wants to see the anvil and the ritual will take hours, let's just begin the searching."

It was entirely possible she simply did not want to spend more time than necessary in the company of the self-proclaimed "netheresian heirs"

"The spirit of the corpse buried under the fallen tower," Thyrius explains. "He pointed me to the tower above."

He then pauses for a second and reveals his finding: "More importantly, you should all know that we are in the company of a dragon. The one shrouded in shadows, Danvolene. I believe he is the one who expressed interest in accompanying us into the tower. I feel a certain kinship with the creature... we may be after the same tome. We may have to fight a dragon before this is all done."

He goes on: "Also, I see the gnome trapped within the mullet-wizard. It looks to me like he has built his taller body out of a mix of magic and the bones of liches he has defeated. I doubt he is being completely honest with us or the group that follows him in hopes of rescuing this gnome.... The set-up reminds me a little of Toc's construct, though I can't be sure of who's in control. It could be the gnome or the magical spirit that is surely enveloping the dead bones. Or they may share a symbiotic relationship."

He continues: "The horned tiefling... that's a new word for me... what was their name again? Anyway, they are not alone. A magical symbol follows in their wake, and it knows I can see it. I am unsure whether this symbol has a consciousness of its own."

Thyrius makes no comment regarding Tic.

(OOC: Did Thyrius get an answer on the "which one of you five missed out on linking with the Mythallar?")

(No, the shadovar did not answer the question, they seemed to pointedly ignore it.)

"Of course, they brought that damn dragon here! Thank you for the warning and yes, be ready for a fight. Shadovar need us for tracking down other mythallars and, I'm sure, for vanguarding the attack on the liches, but they are no friends or trustworthy allies. If they see an opportunity to stub you in the back - they'll use it."

She dismissed the suspicions about another group, and just expressed a surprise. "And here I am, believing we are the weirdest group one could assemble! Toc, it looks like you did not search far enough when set on this quest!" She smiled a little, and again when Thyrius mentioned "Toc's construct". She did not comment either but was visibly pleased that the nature of Toc's "brother" was revealed.

"If there is a dragon among them," Mirica became serious again, "they can sniff the magic easier than we are. Let's try to stay ahead with someone watching their moves. Still wonder what was that creature that tried to shoo us away from this tower before."

Simaal pipes up after finishes his lunch. "Well... there's a chance the ice queen will be coming by here in the next hour or so... Maybe one of her minions, who knows.... So not sure if anyone plans to stick around here, but if you do, be aware."

Tic responds, "Oh no. My secrets are laid bare. I best melt away now." 

Toc rolls his eyes at his constructs sarcasm, and says, "Great, a dragon. And a weird symbol. Yes Mirica, I'll take a group of incredibly competent and trustworthy companions over weirdo's anyday. Uh....Simaal, if the Ice Queen is arriving, then yes, I suppose we should get out of here. I don't know where Zendrak is going to do his work, but I'll suggest it not be here." 

Thyrius wonders mentally to the rest of the group: "If we dislike the shadovar and the other group does too, might this not be a good opportunity to defeat them in combat and reclaim the Mythallar?" Thyrius means this more like a provoking thought than anything else. He knows the group's resources are better spent elsewhere in this moment, but the thought was one worth considering nonetheless, especially if the two non-Shadovar groups are going their separate ways in a moment or two.

"My very thoughts," did not deny Mirica the temptation, "hence, the suggestion about the hostage. However, Toc is right here: at the moment Shadovar are interested in dispatching Larloch as much as we do. Do not think they will go full war for eliminating a few, even very important among them, but they might get some useful information we will need in the future. And be less willing to share it."

Thyrius agreed: "Very well, but I see no reason to let this dragon's ruse be maintained." A second later, the black cat verbally revealed Danvoleye's true nature for all to hear (as per the other thread.)

Mirica, Thyrius, Xemnez, Nuzej and Simaal make their way out of the Mythallar chamber without further interruption.  Toc's mental voice comes to them, "I'll keep in touch about how this spirit being's strange rituals go. Hopefully I'll learn something valuable...and keep an eye on this Margos while I'm at it." 

Tic meanwhile also responds, "I will cast a telepathy spell with this teifling who seems to want to stay in touch. It will take me 10 minutes. I will catch up with you in the tower. Please warn me of any dangers as I proceed."

The hero's make there way from the disarmingly peaceful slow rotation of the Mythallar, between the ancient dark black stone pillars that hold the 300 foot tall tower up above them.  The pillars stone is smooth, like clay, but you know the black stone is almost impervious to damage...though it does have small pits and dents across its surface making it seem more like a childs misshapen clay art than magically crafted construction. The huge pillars remind you of tree trunks that spread out in grasping lumps to seal themselves to the ground. You move between the pillars and out into the open city. 

It may just be your imagination, but the frigid cold of this place seems to lessen somewhat as you move out of the chamber into the open space surrounding the tower. The city likewise has changed since you were in the chamber. A hazy fog that was not here before, now fills the streets and reaches the tops of the lower buildings. Above the fog, the massive cavern is still clear of mist, though of course is dark aside from the dull green glow from the cities magical lights. The glacier has awoken and thunderous crackling and creaking eeks its way through the ice.  The crooked shape of the building look all the more sinister, dark shapes in the hazy mist. You locate the strange tunnel that arcs out of the main tower and eventually meets the ground amidst the city buildings, and start walking that way. The obvious sound of someone following draws your attention to Danvoleye who seems to be keeping his word about accompanying you into the tower. 

The dragon man glances around the cavern with a curious eye, sniffing, "Something significant has changed. It grows warmer."

Xemnez looks about as well, ears flickering at times to catch even the slightest crack of stone and ice. "So it does. Mayhaps it is your demi-goddess has chosen to quit her machinations, and leave these lands now that competition had become to fierce here?" The lion man chuckled and shakes his head. "Were we to be so lucky. Or perhaps... just the opposite. Hmm... We should hurry with our business and return to the center chamber or quit this place together soon after. Least we become trapped in this place or worse." 

At least from Thyrius' side, the conversation is all mental. There is no need for dragon-man to hear any of this.

As usual, Thyrius agrees with his brother: "Indeed, let us hurry. I wouldn't want the search above to end prematurely."

He looks at the large arm that they used to transport themselves up to the tower and hopes: "Coming from this direction, we shouldn't have to perform that eight-step ritual again, don't you think?"

With Thyrius and Xemnez urging some haste, the group heads towards the tunnel entrance. In fact though, you do have to leave the central shielded area to get out to the spot where the arm reaches down. There at its base is where the field extends down around the entrance and the rituals location should be performed.  The group passes out of the field leading to the central tower without trouble and when you reach the gateway to the arm that leads up, you step forward tentatively but pass through the field once again without any need for performing the ritual again. It seems you've all been 'keyed' into the field and are able to pass through without trouble. As before, you can move back and forth without trouble. As you move to step into the hollow column that will lift you up, you note a discrepancy behind you. The dragon man Danvoleye thuds face first into the field. He steps back, stuck on the other side of the entrance. His hand reaches out and feels the invisible field. He opens his mouth but even his voice can't penetrate the field. They must have found some other way through the field into the central Mythallar chamber, that didn't involve the ritual. 

Toc mentally says, "Do you think we should teach him the ritual?"   A moment later, out loud, he barks a mirthful laugh, and then steps into the tunnel and begins floating upwards. 

The tube keeps everyone facing down even as it follows a gentle curve, eventually depositing them where the end of the tube is now completely horizontal. It's also grown wider, thirty feet round, and runs perhaps 60 feet where it meets a wide staircase that leads to the front doors of the tower. You notice some marks on the floor that show the spot where the magical elevator like force ends. From a window above the large double doors you see a bald, blue skinned figure in a black robe. Mentally you hear his voice speak to you, "You are intruders here, please depart." 

Mirica joined the laugh wholeheartedly but then said with a sigh. "I wish I knew what ... bad person let those grand thieves in. Oh, well. If the dragon makes it back to the Mythallar, we will know shadovar are able to do it on their own. If not... That opens up some possibilities, like luring them out."

She studied the blue-skinned creature and (mostly out of curiosity) tried simple logic. "How can we be intruders if we can freely move past the protecting field? You need intruders, they are in the mythallar chamber right now, summoned by those that died in the recent battle. You had to see one of them unable to enter, right?" Actually, it looked like the creature did not care about mythallar. Otherwise, why did not it join the fight before? "Thyrius, did your wizard that sent you, said something about the tower guardian?" She was not sure if the creature could "hear" others' telepathic talk but it was worth a try.