Pizazz's Myth Drannor

And Mirica fully supported that decision! If anything, melting that ice proved the clues were all in towers (technically, even the one with hags was in the tower too). "Yes, let's check that one. So far we found:

• "Second, summon a flame in the palm of your hand"
• "Third, a burnt palm loosens the tongue. Shed a secret about yourself for all to hear"
• “Fifth, quench the flame in thy palm with ice”
• "Sixth, hide thyself behind a mask"

Did I miss any? If there are indeed eight clues, we need four more."

Nuzej deeply wants to stay and study each of the tower destinations to learn more, but he is easily pulled along by the promise of more arcane discoveries in the next tower. He had been ready to shoot a fire bolt to the brazier but Toc beat him to it. He agrees to try the misty tower next.

"Much to do with flames so far, and probably of the magical variety." Xemnez comments. "Unfortunately, unless any of you have garnered any sort of insight about this strange tower beyond just the script, I must all the more agree in moving on." With that, he looked somewhat pointedly to Toc and Simmal for answers. If none are forthcoming however, he'd just nod and try to depart from the tower just ahead of the group to take in their surroundings. 

"An almost entire district frozen in ice. Not good, if tower within." His attention shifts and with some squinting, he gestures to the tall structure that appeared to have some mist or fog spiraling a bit up it(South of Y21 and to the immediate east of the central tower.) "Let's ehad there next. Not sure how closely it dances with the giant barrier, but I imagine we'll manage it somehow."

Toc was indeed quick with the fire, by nods to Nuzej knowing he was ready for something more intensive than some harmless cantrip. 

Toc shrugs to Xemnez, "I'm afraid there is no other obvious arcane knowledge to be found in this tower. Let us continue on."

The group heads south. The silent icy city is quiet as you all move towards the next location. An obsidian tower shrouded in gossamer mist soars before you. Eyes carved into the stonework appear to fixate on you as you approach the entrance. The spire’s highest window emits a purple light. The group pushes open the main front doors to see a tower choked with swirling fog.

Thyrius gives his brother a curious look, but it only lasts a fraction of a second. It seems Xem did not hear the black cat's suggestion but arrived at the same proposal nonetheless. Great minds think alike and all that, and one could claim that its doubly true for siblings that are sometimes as close as twins.

As they are walking, Thyrius asks of the more studious members of the group: "If each of these towers we visited are linked to a specific school of magic, which one would you say the tower with the ethereal floating balls is associated with? The jar of eyes one was divination, if memory serves right. And, was it conjuration for the hags' tower? What of the fourth one, as in the one tower where we found a clue but which is not one of the three I have just mentioned?"

When approaching the misty tower, Thyrius adds a follow up question: "Which school would this one be? The eye and the mist make me think of an illusion, wouldn't you say?"

Simaal searches one of his bags for a few moments until he pulls out a shirt, and holding on one sleeve, whips the shirt through the fog and observes the other sleeve after it goes through the fog. He'll then lay the sleeve on the ground for a few moments then pull it out trying to see if it's acidic in nature. Failing to spot anything, he'll grab a rat out of the rat bag and tie the sleeve around it then throw the rat in the sleeve into the fog, leaving it there for a few moments. If rat's is alive, he'll observe it for a moment before killing it with a knife.

"Would not know." Thyrius did not ask Mirica but she was thinking too and if you do so, why not do it out loud. "But I do not like that mist. We can see the light through the window. Probably can enter through that window too. A pity, we all left etherial but maybe one can fly in the and look inside?"

Toc nods to Thyrius, "Indeed, your theory is quite sound. Illusion...perhaps. We did encounter an illusion focused tower out in the wastes, but it seems as if the towers around the edge belonged to individual wizards, whereas these ones here are more like common towers for the learning of that school. Either way, illusion is a good guess for something such as mists. I would say the last one with the brazier was evocation. The witches one is very likely conjuration. That leaves illusion, enchantment, transmutation, abjuration, and necromancy.  Mists could be illusion, they could be enchantment based, or necromancy. It's really tough to say." 

Simaal experimentation result in nothing more than a dead rat, after he kills the animal. 

To Mirica he responds, "I'm not sure. Perhaps Nuzej has a fly option? I have one way to accomplish that, but it's not ideal." 

"I can make someone, perhaps two or three someones, fly. Who wants to go, and who would be best? I am happy to, though there are others who would be better suited."

"I volunteer." Thyrius says. "I can scout ahead, though I have to admit I usually do so by walking/running, not flying. Nonetheless, I can give it a try. Perhaps your bird companion would like to accompany me this time?" The fact that Simaal's rat did not suffer or die by touching the mist was reassuring. That said, Thyrius quietly wondered if the creature needed to die by the blade. Perhaps it could simply be re-introduced into the bag? The black cat does not vocalize this thought.

-> Perception check for scouting: 12

-> Stealth check for doing so quietly: 35

"Our burd-friend is flightless, unfortunately. Oh, and just in case - stay out of the mist. Not that I think Simaal will kill you if you do so," she sounded skeptical, though, "but the rat could not tell what it saw there. It can be anything."

Nuzej weaves magical energy around Thyrius. The black Leonin hovers up along the mist shrouded tower until he gets to the top window. Like a black shadow against the towers surface he slips forward toward the window to look within. He sees a 30 foot across room lit by sconces that have purple flame flickering within them. He glances up and sees Draconic symbols written into the ceiling the same as the others they'd found. Otherwise, the upper chamber seems entirely empty. No mist is here, though he can see the mist begins at the stairs that lead out of the room. He quickly sketches the symbols he sees. As he turns to float away, he hears a dull echoing laughter from the tower, but nothing else happens so he floats down to the group.  Simaal translates the symbols that Thyrius scribed for the group, “Sixth, show thy face to the sky.”

"Another sixth? Either that demon was lying or we need to find doubles for every other clue. And I am not sure there are that many towers around" The perspective was not that great in either way. "Let's check that tower now?" She pointed at another one SEE from the one with the mist.

"Or it could be an illusion. A distraction from the truth." Xemnez says, breaking his self-imposed silence since making the trip over. Perhaps he had come to the realization he had stepped on his brother's proverbial toes earlier, and had been too embarrassed to speak up? Either way, the momentary break from silence is soon accompanied by him shrugging and adding, "But just as well it could be we need to speak with your demon. Regardless, unless any wish to challenge the mist, I agree with moving on for now."

"Wait." Thyrius thinks for all others to hear. "My brother is unsurprisingly right. It must be an illusion. Toc said it was a good guess earlier, after all."

Assuming he can still fly, Thyrius moves toward the window once again while applying a dollop of magical ointment to each of his eyes. He'll try to peer into the room and take note of the symbols he sees with his enhanced vision.

While under the spell's effect, he'll also take a gander around the group to see if they are being followed by any creatures in the Ethereal Plane.

Thryius flies back up to the tower. The mist in the stairway looks semi-transparent for his new enhanced vision. And as he glances at the ceiling, indeed, the shimmering mostly transparent view of the illusionary writing hangs on the ceiling. Instead, beneath the illusion, he sees another quote. "Sixth, hide thyself behind a mask."   It would seem the devilish fox had spoken true after all. As he leaves, he hears a quiet ghostly grunt of acceptance issue from the tower. He descends back to the group, having a surreptitious glance about, but sees no ethereal trackers. 

Glancing about the, group follows Mirica's lead towards the next tower. A mostly clear and flat section of the city between two city districts is wide open aside from occasionally chunks of icy stone, debris that is glued to the city surface by a layer of ice. Otherwise the way is a wide open path, free of both ice and structures, until you reach the next large tower jutting from the black plane of the cities surface. Ice has engulfed the lower floors of this crumbling tower. Pink light pours out of the highest window—a single point of illumination in a dark and out-of-the-way region of the city. Still though, the doors work and you push open the double doors to see what you're dealing with. The inside of the tower, almost two thousand years old, is rubble and barren strewn.  Etched into the black stone of the floor, the walls, and ceilings is the same sentence in Draconic alphabet over and over. Simaal quickly translates for the group. 

"All work and no play make Ivira a dull girl."

"Well obviously I should be lead on this one, I have great luck with women... " he sighs and continues to speak aloud... "Also I'm kidding, someone else's turn to get bamboozled. Although, this one's bored and the other's bored, maybe we could match them up so they can have some fun." Mentally "Is that fly thing still happening? The downside is that if something does happen to you, we won't be able to get up there as easily as quickly, so there's that to consider."

Unfortunately, between his two trips up and down, and a bit of a walk across the city landscape, its been more than 10 minutes. But, Nuzej can probably easily cast another flight spell on Thyrius if desired. 

Toc mentally adds, "Yes, if Thyrius is up for it, why not go straight to the top...as they say."

"The light in the window looks promising. Which school of magic would you associate pink with?" Mirica sighed again about etherial but did not say anything. Almost. "Fly and invisibility would be good. If that Ivira is still around - would not be surprised if she is - it's better not to meet her."

Mirica could not offer neither fly nor invisibility, but could volunteer to be the recipient of the spells.

Toc nods, "Very well, Nuzej will handle flight, I can make you invisible." He reaches out with his staff and taps Thyrius on his shoulder. Thyrius vanishes. Toc adds, "Don't attack or casts spells or it'll go away, in case you're not aware of such things."