Exile 1 Vahnatai Cave Barriers

[Syaoran2001]

Is it actually possible to dispel the double barriers in the Vahnatai Cave south of Grah-hoth's lair?  The map shows quite a bit of terrain past them, and there is a body between them.  The hint book just says "Play Exile 2" and the "Let's Play" walkthrough says there is a special encounter triggered when you look at the body.  The Let's Play also mentions that's where you get the Alien Blade, but that's not right, Alien Blade is in a special encounter in the tunnel to the east in a hidden cavern across a chasm.  I guess I'm wondering why there is a whole map for the cave past the double barriers if they aren't meant to be dispelled.  I would love an answer to this because it has bugged me ever since I first played Exile over 20 years ago.  I spent hours trying to dispel those barriers and never succeeded.

[Randomizer]

I'm pretty sure it was just placed there as another hint about what Jeff was planning to do in Exile 2. The fact that you can't dispel the barriers in normal play is a big clue.

 

Also Jeff in later games would have inaccessible areas that appeared on maps or things that he planned to use and changed his mind. There's supposed to be in Geneforge 4 a gazer trapped in a room that never opens.

[Fireball Fodder]

It is indeed impossible. In fact, if you cast Magic Map and scroll around, you can see that the passage behind the barriers has some graphical anomalies. You pass through the barriers in Exile II, but from the other direction. Like Randomizer said, it's a sequel hook, nothing more.

 

I think you can dispel the first barrier in Avernum 1 and get some goodies from the body in between the barriers, but the second row of barriers remains impenetrable.

[Slawbug]

The LP probably mixed them up because that second cave, to the east, also has a Vahnatai reference in it.

 

The rest of the map is presumably there for because the Exile display, and the Magic Map spell, both mean you can see parts of it despite not being able to reach them.