Chapter 15 - Between Shadows and a Dark Place
Del stared into the distance, eyeing the entrance to the Shadowlands from above. They had just taken out a small horde of undead and found more concrete evidence that Wyll's dad was, for certain, at Moonrise Towers. Furthermore, they literally were at the closest point of entry to get there. The downside was that the shadows were thickest from this point. So traveling this way would be more dangerous. But it would be so much quicker than traveling through the Underdark.
Halsin stood by her side and watched the emotions that flickered across her face as she weighed her choices.
"Are you thinking it is worth the risk," Halsin asked her. "Because I can assure you, it is not."
Del rubbed her face with one hand and laughed. "I can't say I'm not tempted. Who knows how many more days traveling through the Underdark will take us and we are literally right here."
But she could see the sickness that had spread outside of the Shadowlands into the surrounding area. It was potent enough that small animals couldn't go anywhere near it before perishing. Their bones littered the ground at their feet.
Halsin was about to say something when his eyes flickered away from her, staring down to the path that meandered below their feet. "Someone is down there."
Tensing up, Del turned to look, expecting more enemies.
A man wearing robes and a pointy hat was making his way up the path, seemingly in no hurry. Noting his beard, Del realized this must be another wizard, and then she remembered who this was supposed to be.
The man looked up and spotted them a moment later. He lifted his arm in greeting.
Del turned to Halsin and said, "Let's grab the others and meet with him."
They both scrambled down from the cliff and back to the path where the others waited.
"What's wrong," Lae'zel asked, noticing the excited look on Del's face.
"We found another wizard," Del said with a grin.
Gale stood from where he had been sitting, a look of consternation on his face. "You found a what?"
Lae'zel snorted. "What need have we for another wizard? The one we have is useless enough."
"Excuse me," Gale said, "I'll have you know I am well respected in my field. I'm an Archmage." He folded his arms and muttered. "It's not my fault this damnable tadpole has partially incapacitated me."
Del rolled her eyes. "How about we all go say hi before making any hasty decisions."
After dragging everyone with her down a set of stairs and onto the trail that led to the old city of Reithwin, the others were finally able to see their visitor. Gale immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Elminster," he said, shocked to see his old mentor before him.
"Ah, Gale," the old man called out. "I have been traveling for eons trying to reach you on a matter most urgent."
"Me," Gale asked, obviously still surprised to see someone familiar, "How did you even find me?"
Elminster waved off what he must think was an absurd question and told him, "Mystra bid me to find you and deliver this message myself, so I came. I did not think I would find you so far from Waterdeep, young man. I've practically ruined my favorite pair of shoes getting to you."
"Elminster," Gale prodded, trying to get him back on track, "What has Mystra sent you to tell me?"
The old wizard was immediately affronted and demanded that Gale allow him sustenance and some rest back at their camp, to which Del jumped in and agreed, lest Gale get angrier than he already seemed. No need to anger the elder wizard. It would take even longer for them to get answers, otherwise.
Back at camp, they offered Elminster food, water, and a log to rest his weary feet. They let him eat in peace and once he was done, Gale pounced on him to hear the news he carried. Elminster obliged and told him Mystra was willing to forgive him and put a stop to the ticking time bomb in his chest, but only if he used it to fight against the Absolute, which was a great threat to their world, and basically sacrificed himself.
Del interrupted to tell them that that was not an option. They would find another way. Gale seemed surprised by her vehemence, but also grateful. Elminster agreed that he hoped they would find another way, but if not they had at least one option. With Gale's consent, Elminster cast the spell given to him by Mystra onto Gale and after that he excused himself from their campsite.
Concerned, Del walked with him the older wizard a ways. "Are you sure you don't want to rest for a day before heading back? You just got here and I'm sure Gale would love it if you would stay for a while."
Elminster shook his head and smiled at her. "Thank you for the hospitality, but no, I've been away from Waterdeep for too long and must be on my way. The sooner I head out the quicker I will get there." He winked at her and with a snap of his fingers he suddenly sped off, heading back down in the direction of the mountain pass. Del had to forcibly shut her mouth after witnessing that and made her way back to camp.
"Did he leave already," Gale asked her.
"Um, yeah," she started. "He's surprisingly fast for his age."
Gale chuckled. "He certainly is full of surprises, isn't he?" His laughter died down some and he looked down in concern, probably going back to the words Mystra spoke to him through his old mentor.
"Hey," Del said, drawing his attention back to her. "I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself, just so you know. We will find another way to take down the Absolute."
He smiled at her. "I know you believe that, but we can't leave out a perfectly good solution just because it is less than ideal. We mustn't forget there are others who would be affected by this, as well. All of Faerun could be saved."
Del sighed in frustration. "You are just going to have to trust me on this. We won't need you to blow up to save Faerun. We will find a better way," she vowed.
Gale looked at her for a moment, unsure. "I trust that you believe that. And I'm thankful you care enough to want to find another way. Not when blowing up is the most economical solution."
"I don't do easy," Del told him. "Not when it means losing my friend."
He blinked and stared at her for a moment. "Friend," he muttered, before chuckling. "Yes, I suppose we are friends, aren't we? And I couldn't ask for a better one." He smiled at her. "Let's leave it for now. We don't even know when or if we'll find the heart of the Absolute."
Del stood in the middle of camp, her fists curled into fists after Gale walked away.
Halsin came up to her, noting how tense she was and asked if she was alright. He should be asking after Gale, but for some reason he asked after her. She must look really angry. She shook out her hands and shook her head, trying to calm the anger that swirled inside her. Anger at Mystra for asking this of Gale. Anger at the gods involved in creating the Absolute. Anger at whatever being had brought her here.
She looked up at Halsin after releasing a long breath. "I have no love for the gods of this world, Halsin. I never have and if this is the shit they like to pull, I never will. Damn every single last one of them."
She stalked off, catching Withers' eye as she passed by him. She couldn't fathom what he thought of all this and she didn't dare ask. He was only involved in the most minimal way and she doubted he would cross himself with the other gods even if he wanted to. His offer to be there when they needed to resurrect someone was the best he could do. They were on their own, otherwise.
After packing up the campsite, Del led everyone back up the trail they had entered from. She had intended to just lead them back towards the Blighted Village, but they came across another path that veered off further up into the ridge. Del was pretty sure this was the path that led to a cave that would drop them on the other side of the goblin camp, thus saving them from having to backtrack.
Passing through the cave was uneventful, if dark. As they came into the light, Del could just see the gates of the goblin camp ahead of them. Her memory had served her well. She led everyone back through the camp, which now stood quiet. The bodies they had left behind were in various states of decay. Some of them had been pecked or ripped at by the local wildlife, but not enough to be rid of the stench. Del had to cover her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, the smell was so bad.
As they pulled open the door to the sanctum, Del bid them leave it open. The air was mustier inside, but the smell of death was just as potent. Rats ran from them as they passed more dead goblins. Halsin cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable despite the fact he had helped decimate the cultists they were passing by.
"Do you know where to start looking for the secret passageway," he asked her. "I admit, I wasn't paying much attention as we fought our way out."
Del nodded, already leading them toward Priestess Gut's rooms. "I saw something promising over here. We were kind of busy looking for you so I didn't get a good look, but this True Soul's rooms went deeper down into the temple."
They entered the chapel and crossed over to the door to Priestess Gut's private quarters. The entire group took a giant step back as the door was opened.
"The fucking ogre," Del gasped out.
The smell was ten times worse than what came from the goblins.
They waited a moment for the air to disperse some before entering. Del made sure not to stare at the two corpses within too closely as she stepped around them. She pointed to another doorway deeper within the rooms that lead further into the depths of the temple.
Halsin followed her arm and then nodded to her. "That looks promising."
They walked down the stairs and into another good sized room filled with more statues of Selune. As they walked around, examining the room, they could see a wall in the back that was obviously the hidden doorway. Now they needed to figure out how to get it to open.
Del stared down at the floor as she came into the middle of the room. Circles upon circles were carved into the stone with simple symbols painted on them. She nudged one experimentally with her foot and it turned easily.
"Think I found the puzzle," Del said.
Now to remember what she was supposed to do to solve it.
"One of the goblins had this note on them," Gale said, showing her a crumpled piece of parchment. "I picked it up last time we were here in case it was important. I think this belonged to one of the men who were captured while looking for the Nightsong."
Del took the paper and read it. The man had apparently found a clue about the puzzle that needed solving, but had been confused by its meaning.
"May Darkness never conquer the Moonmaiden's door…" Del repeated the last line of the poem, staring at the circles, before her eyes snagged on a bit of light that fell from the ceiling and landed perfectly onto one of the circles. It was sunlight, but she bet the moonlight shone through the same hole in the roof.
Del began moving the circles so all the black moons landed in the light. When nothing happened, she snapped her fingers.
"Look for a lever," she called out.
Lae'zel motioned to the wall next to her. "Is this what you're looking for?"
Del walked up to her and smiled. "Yes, it is. Want to do the honors?"
"Chk," the githyanki turned her head away. "You're enjoying this way too much. You do it."
Del shrugged and pulled the lever down. A sharp sound was heard as something triggered and the walls rumbled as a doorway was revealed behind them. More stairs. Del looked behind her towards her companions. They all seemed to be holding their breath.
"I know this might not be the most exciting place for us to go," Del said to them, "And I'm not sure how long we'll be down here. So if any of you need a moment, let me know."
She watched as everyone looked around at each other, but nobody spoke up.
"I think we're all as ready as can be," Wyll said with a small smile. "The sooner we get through there, the sooner we can get to Moonrise Towers."
Del could see the anxiety behind his eyes. He was worried about his father, despite how estranged they were, and she could understand that. She nodded and gave everyone an encouraging grin. "Down we go, then."
The stairs lead to a ladder that went down so deep, Del couldn't see to the bottom. It wasn't as dark as she had thought it would be, though. A faint glow still managed to reach her, caused by the various mushrooms and crystals that dotted the walls around the shaft. It took them so long to reach the bottom, she was sure another day had passed. But reached the bottom they did, into another Selunite stronghold. Albeit this one was much smaller than the one above.
As Del walked further into the building, she couldn't help but look up in wonder.
"Whoa," she gasped, pausing at the top of another set of stairs.
The Underdark was not as dark as the name suggested. Just like the shaft, the area was littered with mushrooms, albeit much larger ones, and they all glowed. Glowing crystals dotted the landscape around them, as well, but she could see distant twinkling above them on what must be the ceiling, but it was so far above them she couldn't see where it started or stopped. Strange noises reached her ears and she wasn't sure if she should be concerned by what was making the sounds or not. Whatever they were, they sounded big, but no doubt that was due to the echoes.
Halsin had stepped up next to. "First time in the Underdark," he asked her, amused.
She looked up at him, chagrined. "That obvious," she asked in return.
He chuckled. "I'm sure I looked the same when I first came down here."
Ah, that's right. He had spent a few years in the Underdark. Not of his own free will. Del swallowed and turned away from him before he could see the pity in her eyes.
"I've always imagined what it would be like, but nothing could do it justice."
In the video game it had looked gorgeous, but it paled in comparison to the real thing. Especially the vastness of the space.
"I hope we can find our way to the temple you mentioned. I'm liable to get lost in here."
"I'm sure we will find our way," Halsin said. "I have faith in you."
The rest of the group had started to wander around the space, exploring. Shadowheart was busy looting a treasure chest, while Astarion had climbed onto one of the broken windows below them, his body half outside.
"I think I found a way out of here," he called out to them. "Unfortunately, it seems to lead straight through a field of what appears to be life-sized statues?" His voice showed his confusion.
"Um, maybe stay up here for now, Astarion," she said, rushing down the steps to stop him from leaping away from the chapel. "We aren't familiar with what could be down here and I'd rather play it safe."
Astarion pulled his head back inside, his arm braced on the top sill of the window. "Safe," he asked with a curl of his lip. "I don't think you know the meaning of that word, darling."
Gale and Karlach had wandered up a set of stairs that didn't really lead anywhere except up. Whatever this place was, it hadn't been completed, and they had a good view of what lay outside the gate.
Gale whistled lowly at what he saw. "There must have been a battle here long ago. There are skeletons everywhere." He squinted his eyes. "What in the hells is that thing-" He gasped. "It's a bloody Minotaur!"
Karlach managed to pull him back from the edge as the beast ran up to the gate and rammed it with all its might. In the middle of the room stood a statue of Selune with a glowing stone floating above it. Iit vibrated with magic. The magic flowed into a pair of stones that connected to two more statues outside the gate, which proceeded to fire at the Minotaur. Soon, the monster was lying in a heap in front of the gate, smoking.
"Um, I suggest we don't go that way," Karlach said, her eyes still on the sizzling corpse.
Del gazed at the magic stone and nodded. "We could take out this stone, but I think it's the only thing stopping the denizens down here from making their way topside."
"I think the smarter ones have other ways to head up besides climbing that ridiculously long ladder," Astarion muttered, before sighing dramatically. "We've been here scarcely five minutes and already I'm regretting it."
"As pale as you are, Astarion," Shadowheart quipped, "One would think you came from down here. You should feel at home."
He glared at the half elf. "Says the Sharran. I believe we're down here looking for signs of your people, aren't we?"
"The pale one has a point," Lae'zel said.
Shadowheart frowned and appeared to be about to say something when Karlach called out,"I think I've got it!"
Del turned and watched Karlach throw an old hammer at the floating gem above the statue, causing it to crack. The electrical lines of magic suddenly vanished and the statues outside the gate lost their glow. Karlach brushed her hands together and grinned. "Now it's safe to go through the big gate."
Astarion pouted. "But I wanted to see what all those statues were all about."
"I don't think those are statues, bud," Del told him. "I think they're petrified people."
"Petrified? From what?"
"A spectator, most likely."
Gale had walked over to where Astarion was standing and peered down at the rows of petrified drow that stood to one side of the temple. "Hmm, that is quite possible. But who would have summoned one here and for what purpose?"
Del shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. And I'd rather not find out."
Karlach tried the gate only to find it locked. Astarion ambled over and lock picked it with ease. As he shoved the gate open he motioned everyone out.
Wyll walked over to one of the skeletons littered outside and picked up a dusty book from beside it.
As he read the contents he said, "Hmm, it appears the Selunites weren't appreciated by the drow and they were attacked. Probably why the outpost was never completed."
"They should never have entered into the darkness," Shadowheart said with a sniff. "This is Lady Shar's domain after all."
"Last I checked the drow don't worship Shar, either," Del pointed out, before picking a direction and walking away from the Selunite outpost.
As noisy as the Underdark was, they managed to not run into any more trouble. They found the myconid colony within a short amount of time. After speaking to the Sovereign and offering their assistance to help rid them of some duergar, they were led to a patch of ground they were free to use for their campsite.
Once everyone was settled in and dinner had been had, Del spent some time by her tent fiddling with her lute. She was trying to remember how to play a song she couldn't quite recall. It hadn't been a song she had learned here on Toril, but one she had heard back home on Earth.
It felt alien to think of her life back then. She had over two decades worth of memories from her normal life and it was almost like it never happened. She felt disconnected from her old self, and that's why she sat alone, softly picking at her instrument. Trying to force herself to remember not only the tune but the lyrics to a song that wasn't even meant to be played on a lute.
Halsin wandered over as others made their way to their respective tents and sat next to her. She didn't mind the company, but still played her lute. So far, she had found the first few measures of the song and was playing it over and over again to try and trigger more from her memory.
The Druid watched her patiently, before saying softly, "You look sad."
Del paused her playing, surprised by his comment, but then she shook her head remorsefully. "I'm pretty sure it's a sad song," she told him, continuing to play.
"You're pretty sure," he prompted, his eyebrows raised in question.
She chuckled. "I can't remember enough of the words right now to say for sure."
He listened to her play once more before saying, "It seems to me that maybe you are sad, because you can't remember."
Del locked eyes with him for a moment before turning away. "You might be right."
"I'm not a musician, so maybe I can't understand… But why does that make you so sad? You could hear it again one day."
Del wasn't sure if it was just the melancholia or the fact that Halsin had an aura about him that made it easy to open up to him, but for once she didn't shy away from the potentially revealing question.
She stopped playing after a moment and set her lute to the side. "That's the problem. I won't hear it ever again."
Halsin cocked his head to one side, confused.
Del tucked her knees against her chest, hugging them. "The song is one I've only heard where I come from. And that is far away. Far enough away that I doubt I will ever see it again."
He seemed unsure how to unpack what she had just told him, but he started with, "Do you miss it? Your home?"
Del shrugged. "Honestly, I've been away for so long I don't even consider it home. Baldur's Gate is home now. Do I miss it? Sometimes. I miss certain things about it, anyway." She looked up at him and asked, "Do you ever have a hard time remembering your past? Because I do. That time… that person I was… it's like a blur. I can't focus enough to get details. It's almost like I dreamt it all."
Halsin chuckled at her. "I'm over three hundred years old. Of course, I don't remember every single detail of my life, but elf memories are usually pretty good. Since we trance instead of sleep, it allows us to organize our memories and even see things we might have missed while we were awake. We experience our past lives, as well, and keep those memories with us. But, you're human, and your brain doesn't work the same way ours do." He held up a hand, as if expecting her to interrupt him. "Not that I'm saying you're less intelligent. Most humans haven't grown up learning the same discipline we have. And your lives, unfortunately, are much shorter."
"I don't think I want to remember everything." She grimaced, thinking back to her highschool years. "There are just certain things I feel I shouldn't forget so easily..."
"Like what?"
"Like what my parents look like. Or my social security number. Maybe that's not as important anymore, though."
Halsin looked confused. "The others did warn me you won't talk about where you come from exactly… but I will have to trust it is far away indeed as I only understood half of what you said." He cleared his throat. "If you would like, I can try to teach you some meditation techniques. This would help you clear your mind and maybe it will help more with your memory. I can see my parents' faces in my mind's eye as clear as day. I would wish you were able to do so, as well, especially if you may never see them again."
Del perked up at that. "I've never tried it before. If you think it can help with my memories, I would love to learn."
"It won't be easy," Halsin cautioned. "Meditation can take years of practice to get right. We'll find a time when you're more refreshed and start from there. If that's alright with you?"
She nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Halsin. I really appreciate you."
He stood and smiled down at her. "Don't mention it. I'll let you get some rest now. See you in the morning."
Del laughed. "Or whatever passes for morning down here, anyway."
Halsin chuckled with her. "You might be surprised."
"I do like surprises."
"We'll see," he said, ambling away. "Have a good night."
"Night," she called back. She watched him as he walked away towards his sleeping roll before she turned toward her tent. As she lay there, she heard the tune of the song she was trying to remember play over and over again in her head, but still failed to unlock more of it before falling into a dark, dreamless slumber.