[@Shadow Dragon]

The great door gave way, revealing a surprisingly well-maintained and well-lit hallway beyond. In fact, it appeared so well-maintained that one could be forgiven for thinking it had been built yesterday. Suspicious, Ophion stood just outside of Polybius's tomb and held up his hand again, shining a blue light on the passage ahead of him. The light washed over the floor and walls, covering them in the same hue, but otherwise revealing nothing. No changes to the hall, real or apparent, came to the fore. 

"Intriguing. It isn't an illusion." He walked over to the floor and touched it with his right foot. It was solid. He turned back to the wraith. "This tomb hasn't been maintained well, it's literally been frozen in time. Or at least, the passage of time has been altered in here so as not to affect the tomb itself. This isn't a decayed tunnel, but one which is actually fresher and newer than most which are around today, and yet the tomb and thus the magic dates from before the rise of permanence spells on this continent. That means the preservative effect isn't lasting by itself. Something's powering it, possibly the lich himself. If he falls, this place might very well decay all at once. I'm not sure if wrecking his physical body will trigger that or if we have to destroy his phylactery as well. Probably the latter. I also suspect that he is capable of withdrawing the magic which keeps this place pristine at any time, so he may be able to collapse the tomb at will."

[@bloonewb]

Aerta smiled, knowing that she could escape at any time if she needed to. "No need to be so formal, Kutur. Etiquette is best used as an expression of sincerity, not a shield to cower behind. I have found that the more refined a set of manners are, the more they are used to cover up deficiencies instead of being used to solve them. Now, I'm here on what you might call a fact-finding trip. It has come to my attention that a number of titles were recently changed as part of a general reorganization of Xigyll's elite. Normally, the changing of hats and labels matters little, but in a fluid situation such as that of a newly-established realm, it can easily upend the still-developing political order. For starters, I'd like to know why there's been a change of titles and if it has any substance to it? If the change is just for reasons of vanity, I'll happily return to my husband's side."