The merwoman looked to the three men who were beaming at the shock on the faces of those seeing this for the first time and inquired, "I have been swimming in the pond there for decades. When did you put the cavern in there?"
Master Poralis held his palm in front of him, "I wasn't there when it was created. It is far older than I." He then looked between the tortoise and the master chronomancer in curiosity. "Gentlemen?"
Oren shrugged. He tilted his head in the direction of the chelonian. "Ask him, I didn't learn about it until I was in my fourth century. Even that was only because I discovered the hill hadn't always been there when I was exploring the past. I asked my mentor, then who told me to ask Archmage Alden. Back then, he just said...."
"I was still pretty young back when we made it. I don't recall the exact when." The tortoise responded completing his sentence. "I'll tell you the same thing again. I was there, and helped, but I can't remember when. These buildings weren't here yet, there were only three towers back then, the elemental tower, the chronomancy tower, and the divination tower. The druid's grove was over there," he indicated the vicinity of the nexus, "and there wasn't much else here then, so it was long ago. Those were all the buildings we needed back then. The alchemists had a building in town that's now a tannery, the venomancers were the specialists of the assassin's guild. They had a place in the bog, the healers were at the old chapel," looking at Oren, "you remember the one that fell into the bog on the east side of town. The ten or so elves were all of the xylomancers at the time, the choromancers were originally the "Teleporter's Club" until we learned more. The guilds had all the metallomancers, transmuters, and the like, and the only necromancers were shunned, banned, or exiled until we discovered they had a lot of good qualities too. We were a little thick in the shell back then. Things sure have changed since those days."
Cordelia's eyes squinted as she furrowed her brow at the two elders. "So how old is it ROUGHLY, and WHAT is it for?"
Oren blushed as he responded, "It's over two thousand years old, and it's the original council chamber. At one point, some of us had to swim to enter it, so we decided to build a new one in a proper tower. It also prevented certain elders who outgrew the water entrance from getting stuck in the small entryway."
Glaring toward the elf, Alden remarked, "let's just go inside and get this done." He finished by muttering, "children...."
As the group approached the waterfall, the sound of rushing water became more pronounced, echoing off the surrounding rocks. The air was filled with a fine mist, creating an ethereal atmosphere as they came closer to the cascading water. Before its parting, the sheer force of the waterfall created a natural barrier, concealing the entrance to the ancient council chamber hidden behind its veil.
Step past the split curtains of water, they found themselves in a hidden cavern bathed in a soft, mystical light. The walls were decorated with ancient carvings and symbols, telling the story of the academy's long forgotten history. The air is cool and damp, carrying the scent of moss and the freshness of the waterfall.
In the heart of the chamber, a circular platform was surrounded by intricately carved stone seats. Each seat seemed to bear the weight of centuries, and the air was charged with the energy of the countless meetings that once took place in this sacred space. The ceiling above was lit by luminescent fungi casting a gentle glow, revealing the intricacies of the chamber's architecture.
At the center of the platform, an ancient council table stands, carved from a single massive stone. It was etched with runes and symbols, hinting at the profound wisdom once shared around it. The room seemed to pulse with a quiet reverence, as if the spirits of the past were still lingering, watching over the sanctity of the council chamber.
As they explore further, they noticed hidden alcoves along the chamber's walls, containing ancient scrolls and artifacts. Much like the library hidden behind the new chamber, these relics told tales of a time when this place served as a hub for decision-making, a sacred space where leaders and wise individuals gathered to discuss matters of great importance.
Nearing the chairs, the sound of the waterfall outside became a distant hum, blending with the sacred silence within the hidden chamber. It seemed as though the chamber had been frozen in time, preserving the wisdom and secrets of an ancient council that once convened behind the veil of water outside. Once there were no other to enter, the water refilled the basin of the pond and the twin cascading waterfalls merged again into one. The chamber lit with a silvered glow as the stones closed again preventing others from locating this ancient sanctum.
With small motions, Alendoria directed the disk containing the one locked in time to the edge of the table before allowing the disk to dissipate back into the ether. Eve dropped the fraction of a millimeter to the safety of the stone table and appeared to be sleeping comfortably on the large surface.
Von looked at the two women prepared to scour their instructor's mind for information before asking, "Would you mind if I watched what you are doing from a link? I am still attempting to learn what I can."
The two women looked at the elders with uncertainty. This was not something for a child to see, but as those same elders looked around, the two myalomancers realized they were unsure themselves. After several seconds, Alden shrugged, "this is the young man who was able to withstand her attack for not only himself but for his companion as well. I see no reason not to allow it. It may also help him to determine what he wants in recompense for the assault."
Looking back and forth, the two women paused to think to each other before nodding. "First, can you eliminate her attunement from her tiara?"
Archmage Poralis "Von, if you place it on the table in front of me, I will begin. You may then join your thoughts with mine as I attempt this."
Excited at being allowed to watch during the attempt, he walked to the woman in stasis. Placing his hands to her head, he felt the resistance from the temporal stasis field as he tried to make change to what was held in its grasp. After two tries while Poralis carefully watched his progress, he finally sent his aura through his hourglass to his hands and slowly pushed aside just enough of the field to remove the item from her head. Feeling how the stasis field worked, he put a narrower field of his own around only the tiara before pulling it back through the master's field.
Once it had passed through the overall field, he released his field.
What is Vekezimal the cerebrenth demon?