Stepping through the Royal Palace archway, Renato found himself facing a long stone passage. It extended much farther than he had guessed from outside. Every few paces, a fingertip-sized ritual rune was embedded in either wall, each giving off a soft white glow.
Renato recognized the familiar white light. It was probably the Detect Poison and Disease spell, which was very common in the Underdark.
At the end of the passage, two guards stood holding halberds. Their gazes swept over the three visitors' faces, then checked the even glow the spell cast over their bodies. Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did they draw their halberds aside.
Renato followed the royal guard and Novak across the threshold into the Royal Palace's main hall.
The glittering splendor he had expected was nowhere to be seen. The vaulted ceiling was built from blue-gray stone, and two rows of massive round pillars supported the broad space. Their shafts bore neither decoration nor carvings. Sunlight entered through several tall, narrow windows high in the walls, cutting shafts of light through the swirling dust and illuminating the hall by day.
The tapestries on either wall were old and faded, depicting scenes of hunting and warfare. A brown carpet covered the floor beneath his feet. Its weave was simple and felt rather stiff, and its edges had already begun to fray.
There were several times more people in the hall than Renato had expected. Mages and apprentices in mage robes bearing the royal emblem carried rolls of parchment between makeshift long tables and stacks of wooden crates.
The rustle of turning pages, the clack of iron boots on stone, and hushed arguments over calculations for distributing supplies throughout the city...
Renato looked around. He saw none of the noble courtiers so common in operas, dressed