A Rip in Time [IC]

[Das_Uberboat]

The tower stands up on the hill, darkened and ancient with the weathering of three thousand years' worth of neglect. The road leading to it has nearly been forgotten; a barely-there, dirt-and-grass path that winds among wild grasses and stray stones in a long, twisted line to the tower gate.
Somehow, the gate has remained intact after all this time, as if it were in brand new condition. However, with this sort of condition it seems nearly impenetrable.
The cart and horse slowly turn back, the driver waving as he passes down the hill once more.
Standing in front of the gate, you clutch the envelope given to you by your Headmaster, still sealed. On the front was written "open at the Tower of Ancients; not after, and definitely not inside. Good luck, Maria."

The place by the tower itself is a small area of flat, stony ground. The tower is made of solid granite, stretching far into the sky. In front of you sits a black metal gate, closed and sealed. All around the tower's perimeter yields nothing but smooth, carefully carved stone.
On a stone next to the gate, placed into the wall, is a glowing blue symbol. It pulses softly with a light blue light.

[onlie2005]

Maria did not understand why she was here. All she knew was that the headmaster had requested her to come here. So she did. She guessed that there was a reason for this, maybe a test. She did not know. She carefully inspected the rune and tried to understand it.

[roll0]

After that she decided to open the envelope.

[Das_Uberboat]

Maria did not understand why she was here. All she knew was that the headmaster had requested her to come here. So she did. She guessed that there was a reason for this, maybe a test. She did not know. She carefully inspected the rune and tried to understand it.

[roll0]

After that she decided to open the envelope.

The symbol appears to be a modified version of Glyph of Warding.

Inside the envelope, you find a letter written in red ink.

Maria,
It is time for your final test before you graduate into the world as a true, fully-fledged wizard. Even prodigies such as yourself must undergo this quest; it is a long-standing tradition of the Academy.
Before you, you see the Tower of Ancients. A tower that has stood since time immemorial, it has secrets in its depths that even today, none have plumbed to. It is your job to travel down into the ruins and rooms to find...something.
We don't know what it is, to be honest. It was detected on our Psion's Detect Magic network a few weeks back, and showed up as a powerful spike that lasted for three days.
It lies around five miles underneath the surface, beneath this tower. We know no other details besides this. It is your job to find out for us.
Godspeed,
Headmaster Vivillain

[onlie2005]

Maria had a determined look on her face. This was her chance to prove herself worthy of being called a wizard. After all that was what she wanted. Looking around the took note of the sealed gate. With the Glyph of Warding put there it was obvious that going through the gate was not an option. Although she was considering climbing it. But there might be another way in. So first she decided to do a perimeter around the barrier surrounding the Tower, looking for any other way in. She could try climbing the gate but she was very short.

[roll0]