The Company continued to the end of the hallway, remaining silent the whole while. They were still swallowed by oppressive darkness forward and back. But this place still had good bones. The granite walls and floor had only a few hairline cracks, and the dressed stone still fit tightly together. The air was cold and dry, as though still mired in the depth of winter; the only shelter this place seemed to offer was from the wind and any creatures in the woods. There were few signs of wolves or undead here, at least in this hall.
Still, the very air seemed to hum with energy, to the point where one could almost feel the vibrations in their teeth.
And then a whisper floated through the air, gentle and wistful, saying in barely audible tones: "Netheril…yes…it was once called Netheril…"
The hallway bent slightly and changed. On the right-hand wall were two circular entrances like those of a cave, jagged and pitted rock lips around their edges and threshold. But it was difficult to tell what was inside these caves; they were covered by what appeared to be a thick curtain of ragged black smoke that gave off a burning cold. Near both entrances, several skeletal hands and forearms littered the ground.
"Those black things can take out a man with a touch," Valygar said. "Steer clear."
He seemed to expect that this hall would continue. But, instead, they came upon a wall after a few more paces, smooth as glass but unbreakable as rock. It was a deep, smoky indigo and flecked with tiny points of light. Though it seemed translucent, they could see nothing beyond this wall except their reflections and a deep field of stars.
Valygar checked around the edges of the floor and walls, looking for any signs of weakness. There were none; the barrier was merged seamlessly with the granite, as though it were hewn exactly to fit.
"That's unfortunate," he finally said. "This tunnel is the main access from this route. Some magic has been worked here, but we need to get through it to go any further."
Minsc held up his hamster to his ear. The little creature poked his nose upwards from his master's massive fist, tickling his earlobe with faint white whiskers.
"Boo says that if he wanted to hide something," he said, "he would put it where he could get it, but no one else could. That's why he stuffs his cheeks with nuts. Evildoers had best beware if they think to get between Boo and his snack, or their fingers will bleed with bites from the hamster teeth of justice!'
He opened his hand. Boo crawled up Minsc's arm and shoulder, then wriggled underneath the sleeping Yoshimo.
"Ah," Minsc continued, "and Boo says he will go for the eyes afterward."
Aerie turned back towards the two black-curtained caves and stared at them doubtfully. "I…I suppose I could try a dispelling spell…"
"Let's see what we're dealing with first," Lidia said.
She unsheathed her shortsword and nudged at the edges with its tip. Within moments, the blade dissolved, a shock of cold nearly piercing her hand through her glove. She let go of the weapon's remains in surprise, and the hilt clattered to the ground.
She bit back a curse. "That's not going to work," she said aloud. She noticed that Azuredge, hilted at her belt, faintly whispered and began to glow brightly.
"Unless…" she said, half to herself, "that wall is made of the same kind of stuff as those shadow-creatures are. Their 'flesh,' so to speak."
"If this is connected to the Shade Lord's power," Anomen said, "then disturbing it might alert him to our presence."
"True, but I'd be surprised if he hasn't been already," she replied. "I'd like to see what he wanted to keep hidden."
She held the axe up some distance from the unearthly curtain. The shadow-stuff seemed to recoil and dissolve into smoke wherever the light touched. She held it nearer, and the effect was more pronounced. Nowhere did the shadow-stuff come anywhere close to touching the axe.
She withdrew the axe and snuffed its white light, leaving only the edges to burn an intense blue. The curtain's ragged hole squirmed and twisted but remained open.
"Cover your eyes and step back," she said.
She held the axe close to the curtain without touching it, squinted her eyes, and threw her will into its light.
In a moment, the dark curtain vanished, curling and turning to white steam, floating into the air and dissolving into nothingness.
Behind this curtain lay a small cave, with unpolished walls but laid with smooth flagstones on the floor. The only thing this room held was an iron strongbox in the corner.
"The thing about ruins like these," Valygar said, "is that they're full of surprises — good and bad. And if the Shade Lord is responsible for this odd barrier, it could be both."
He got low to the ground, picked up the now-useless hilt from Lidia's wrecked weapon, and aimed carefully for an iron strongbox in the corner of the room. With a flick of his wrist, the handle skittered across the floor and came to rest in front of the box, seemingly untouched.
She readied Azuredge and hurled it towards a spot above the box on the opposite wall. The axe traveled through the air, but as soon as it passed through the center of the room, a sudden jet of fire streamed outwards at about chest height.
She silently recalled the axe to her hand. The jet of fire crossed the room as the weapon sailed through the air.
The room is trapped, the trap triggers multiple times, and we can't disarm it," Lidia said. "If anyone has a spell for resisting heat, now would be a good time to mention it."
Aerie spoke up. "I mean, we keep running into enemies that fling around fire a lot. And…and for the box, there's a spell from the case that can open locked things —"
"Good, then you're up," Lidia said.
"Me? I mean…I mean, I'll do it." Aerie pulled a sack from her pack, went to the cave entrance, rolled her shoulders, and took a cleansing breath.
She retrieved a small jar from the pouch around her belt and started weaving a spell: "Manus…potentis…paro!"
The change that came over her was subtle, almost a faint shimmer. But she wasted no time plunging forward. As she passed through the center of the room, the jet of fire passed through and around her. Though the spell made her entirely impervious to heat for a short time, she still flinched.
But she made it to the other side, knelt, and unlocked the strongbox with a second spell: "Praeses, alia, fero."
The hinges on the box's lid creaked open. The elf made a disgusted sound, followed by strange clinks in the sack. She said, "These are…these are bones…and they're little."
She gingerly handled the filled bag, got up, and made her way back with a new urgency in her stride. Someone in the group let out a cry of surprise. As soon as Aerie left the cave, two ghosts floated forward, emerging from the far end of the hallway. They carried massive halberds with a semi-circular blade; they wore tabards emblazoned with the sun and its rays over their segmented armor. In addition, they wore large ceremonial helmets that completely hid their faces from view. They were nearly identical in appearance, though the right ghost seemed slightly taller.
"Visitors from the sun-caressed world? What is their purpose here?" The left ghost was almost entirely oblivious to the Company's presence, speaking to his companion as though they were the only ones here.
The right ghost brandished his weapon. "Have they come to pillage? Or have they come to darken the earth?"
"They spoke the name of the Light of the Law," the left ghost said. "They banish the darkness where they go."
To that, the right ghost said nothing. Finally, the left ghost approached the Company, bowing deeply.
"Forgive us," he said. "The weight of years and our long duty weighs heavy…"
"Why have you been denied your peace?" Lidia asked them.
The right ghost finally set the end of his halberd upon the ground and leaned against it as one would a staff. "We failed our prophetess, the Child of Light. We could not protect her as the Shade Lord emerged…and…." He bowed his head and said nothing more.
"They are her bones you carry," said the left ghost, pointing a bony finger to Aerie's hand. "Bring them to the arms of the Keeper, and then perhaps she can aid you."
With that final word, they faded out of sight.