The gemstone is warmer than you expected, like it'd been baking in the sun all day. Not hot enough to burn a finger though, so you try to grab it in your palm. You feel it dissolving as you close your grip around it, until you're left with an empty fist. You're reminded of those cheese puff snacks that seem to disappear when you put them in your mouth.
Only a second later, a bright red flare ignites above you and rockets up into the sky. As it reaches the apex, it seems to spin in a peculiar way, then a loud but gentle voice says "Help, please". Not exactly what you'd been expecting, but hopefully effective, all things considered.
Before long, a nimble bird of a type you don't recognize swoops down with some kind of spear in their talons, and dives to launch the pointed end into the ground a few paces away from you. As the bird careens away, you notice the spear has a strange branch awkwardly jutting out perpendicular to the main shaft. The bird finishes circling around, and lands on the branch. Of course, you realize, it's a portable perch!
Then the bird spoke with a remarkably clear voice resembling an old storyteller. "Welcome, traveler. I'm Barclay, Chief Overseer of the Boundary Zone. Today, that means it's my privilege to be your guide. I saw your flare just now, so tell me how I can help you best."
Barclay returns, setting up perch on his portable roost just beside you. Unlike the first time, his arrival was very quick and surprisingly quiet. "Was there something else you wanted to ask?"
"I see you've already revealed the door puzzle. I don't have any hints for you, that one you have to do on your own. Think of it as an initiation. But don't worry, you'll get in if you keep trying."
