You are stopped by a door.
It is a massive door that spans the height of the cave. On it, four symbols glow, each one matching the color of the lights from before. The air is tense with magical energy that radiates from what lies beyond this obstacle.
Vinta steps forward, rummaging through their belongings and pulling forth a particular document covered in notes that was wedged between papers and scrolls. They are silent, doing a quick once over before looking back towards the door. With arms outstretched they channel a spell that appears arcane in nature, sparking forth from their fingertips and striking across the central mechanism of the great door. As the magic interacts with the final seal the symbols glow brighter, their color spilling out onto the icy crystal stones of the cavern corridor. The final lock clicks and turns, allowing the door to open and reveal what lies on the other side.
The sight before you is a vast room that's so expansive there are clouds flowing across the ceiling and ground. The walls and floors are made of a shiny material that resembles the iridescence of a dark pearl, reflecting the brilliant light of the massive rotating ball of energy at the center in a vibrant display. The core itself looks akin to a tiny floating sun, and despite how bright it is the warmth you feel from it isn't scorching. Instead, it is a pleasant heat that will melt away the snow stuck to your clothing should you get closer.
With that in mind, the core does not seem to generate enough heat to entirely rid this place of ice. This is evident from the amounts of frost gathered in large chunks near the edges of the room and around the piles of debris that appear to be old buildings. While ruins had been mentioned by Vinta previously, you did not expect to find them in a place so close in proximity to the core.
Along with the scattered rubble and ruins from what you guess were ancient civilizations, there are several other things of note in this space. The remains themselves are covered in intricate patterns and details, ones you find strikingly similar to the beacons but with a more fierce and jagged look to them. You assume they must have been built long before the school was even a thought and as tens of thousands of years passed they slowly wore away until they reached this pitiful state. There are spires that still cling to the ceiling above, but with so many collapsed on the ground you do feel uneasy thinking of the potential of one falling onto the group while you are all here.
There is also a massive hole at the center of the room underneath the area that the core seems to be effortlessly suspended. If one were to brave glancing over the side, there is nothing but darkness that gives way into the starry skies that surround Aldebast. It's a sheer drop - best to steer clear of it.
You also notice that around the core itself there are a number of floating objects, neatly aligned and slowly rotating even though nothing seems to be keeping them in place. What are those?
As you ponder these things of note, Vinta breaks off from the group and makes their way over to something that hadn't caught your attention earlier. There appears to be a small console closer to the center of the room which the Archmage wastes no time venturing towards. As they approach, a sudden tremor nearly knocks them and several others off their feet. Vinta pauses, their stance seeming more alert than you've probably seen them look this entire journey. When it settles they begin to turn in a circle slowly as if to try and find what in the room might have caused it. The group glances around as well, clearly confused by the ground shaking for seemingly no reason.
A few moments pass before the flames of the core appear to spark and sputter in a manner violent in comparison to how it had been before. Tension fills the air and the room falls quiet, most of the adventurers holding their breath in a nervous anticipation.
The silence is shattered as one massive, armored hand bursts forth from the ice covering a large pile of ruins. A second hand soon follows. Then a third. Then a fourth. Two of these hands wield shimmering poleaxes, made of a deep cyan ice that seems to stand out in comparison to all the ice you've seen so far (and you've seen quite a bit of ice on this venture). Once the arms have fully surfaced, an enormous ironclad body forces itself upward from its icy prison. The construct, which appears extremely humanlike in nature, stands to its full towering height and begins to approach the crowd of adventurers.
The revitalization of this construct seems to have disturbed other things that were once trapped in the frozen grips of slumber as well. Countless tiny ice beasts stir and scuttle out from the shadows to fight alongside the armored monster, and some even climb onto it and nestle themselves in any openings available between the metal plates.
While some may be inclined to try reasoning with something so humanlike, attempting to would prove futile. It is a mindless defense mechanism, designed solely to protect the core from any it would deem intruders. Defeating it is the only way forward.
Despite their own fears, Vinta is the first to take a step towards it. They lift a hand dramatically, flipping open their enchanted tome of aspects and causing it to grow brightly at the flick of their fingers. Their eyes, normally consumed with exhaustion, now burn with a ferocity that almost seems out of character for them.
They absolutely refuse to leave such an important job undone after coming this far.
Vinta
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“For those that can, I would hope you will remain by my side and fight. For those unable, I would not think lesser of you. But I still ask that you remain here and lend your support in any way you can."
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The volume of their voice is enough to attract the creatures attention, it causes a ripple in the ground the living armor lumbers forward. With the wave of its hands a thick sheet of sleet and frost shoot outwards, quickly biting away the group's recently gained warmth.
Vinta
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“Prepare yourselves!”
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