"Our plan is simple: open the gate and see what's inside." Cyprian turned around to the party assembled with him. "Ash, I'm sure this place will be a good place to live, not that you've ever needed anything as elaborate as this." 

He turned to look at Amontillado. "You're right, we should stick together. And Taranis, you're more of a mage than any of us, probably. Anthedon had a grasp of magic which almost no one alive can claim to possess. If even a fraction of his secrets are still in there, you'll learn more from this place than anywhere else in Omicria. As for you, Arney, don't send for anyone until we know it's safe to do so. And Lilith... thanks for being here. Sorry that there's not much more to say. Did anyone else have anything to add?"

Alyssa raised her hand. "Yeah. Is it true they had running water back then? Think it still works. I have to go."

"Er... they did back then and I'm sure we'll still find out if it works. Okay, here goes." Cyprian inserted the key into the gate. As soon as the key was inserted, it was pulled fully into the gate's lock by an unseen magical force. After a minute of rumbling, the gates finally swung open to reveal the palace. 

From the north looking south, there was a long, white street flanked by buildings on either side. The road was immaculately paved, a tremendous contrast to the unpaved paths and decayed roads which remained in what was left of the kingdom. Looking south, the party could make out a perpendicular intersection, with a second road running easy to west. Farther south, they could make out a large octagonal structure and several long buildings, whose purposes were unknown. Overall, the architecture resembled that of a fort in its prime, with half of the structures appearing quite military from the outside, and the remainder being civilian structures built as they were centuries ago. 

What truly struck Cyprian was how pristine the place was. From what he could see, there wasn't a single crack in any of the walls, nor any chips in the paint. Even the roof tiles were all still in place. The palace wasn't just protected by magic, it had been preserved, as if no one had ever set foot in there. 

"Be on guard. Powerful magics abound, and I can sense the focal point for them is in that octagonal building over there in the distance." Outside of the towers which had been built into the walls, it was the tallest edifice in the palace and very hard to miss.

Alyssa gingerly took a step onto the road, carefully letting her bare feet feel the smooth stone. "Whoa. So [i]this[/i] is what pavement feels like. So flat. Damn. Just like you said, Cyp."