Crystalline Maze

2022 Location Lore Event Entry
Author: Valkhana

Deep in the caverns of the Gemstone Hallows, there rested a hidden paradise. While the mountains never failed to be a wonder on their own, with their warm golden glow high upon the peaks, there was an abundance of mystery just waiting to be found! The valleys that dipped low between the peaks twisted and turned like jagged rivers running through the lands, just begging to be explored. There was always something breathtaking when one ventured into the Hallows, and anyone should be aware to take caution not to get lost in the mazes that can be found. The winding caves might render some unprepared or curious soul helpless and without a sense of direction. 

This had been the case for one brave adventurer seeking to discover new things in the mountains! A journey into the Gemstone Hallows had left this shiji dazed and confused for days on end, but what they found while wondering there had been a section of the floor with less structural support than it needed to hold the weight of the adventurer. They had fallen through the floor, and the landing had been rough! It had left that shiji with scrapes, cuts and bruises that they would need to tend for a while, but what laid in wait below was something that seemed out of this world. 

This portion of the Gemstone Hallows had previously been completely hidden and unacceptable until that fateful adventurer had taken the… fall of faith. One would need to bring their own sources of light, for the small pocket bubble buried in the stones had none of its own. Not even the Hallows above had much, if any, light to provide. However, once one could secure that source of light, they would find what might have been the largest form of a geode that there might have ever been! There were massive crystals that stretched from one end to the other, acting like columns to battle the weight surrounding it. The light reflected off the surface of the stones in a prism of shifting color. The iridescent quality shimmered, and one could almost see straight through some of the smaller chunks of crystals!

Every bit of the walls within this pocket of the earth were completely covered in those crystals, and with the iridescent surfaces it made the lights of the torches carried reflect in an ethereal way… If one looked for too long, the cavern might play tricks on them! It was easy to get disoriented within this section of the Hallows with the reflective surfaces and dancing lights, but boy was it ever a fantastic discovery! The most difficult part is safely venturing into the crevasse that had been made that allowed this discovery. Over the years, it seemed as if some shiji had taken the time to smooth out the jagged mouth where the floor had collapsed. Marking it off with ropes which had brightly colored fibers so no one accidently tripped and fell into it! Additionally, there seemed to be a rope later to get in and out.