You head to the bottom of the staircase into the room to which you originally entered. As you descend, a soft light in the corner catches your attention. You must not have noticed it when you first arrived.

You follow the mysterious glow into an antechamber, where a huge tree stands among colourful plants and flitting sprites. As an earth mage you have studied many natural phenomenon and it's bigger than any living thing you have ever witnessed. A crystal grows from within its trunk, roots spreading beneath the floor. You wonder how deep this tower descends into the earth through the ante chamber.

"I've never seen a healthy etheria tree up close before," Richalt says, amazed. So you have never been to the Library of the Arcanum? asks Alster, a native of Eldonia.  "No, have never had the opportunity to travel into the crater of Verdalia but have learned that sprites have a special connection to the plants and crystals on Elda Island. They're drawn to their energy they feed from them and send energy back into them. No wonder Ivy was so determined to get in!"

"Up there," Alster says. "In the branches!"

You look up and see Ivy, surrounded by fellow sprites. She seems to have made connections with the beings of light that surround the great etheria. In a moment of distraction, she breaks connection with the spirits and noticing Richalt, she drifts downward peacefully, joining him at last. Now that Ivy has been able to spend a re-energising moment around the tree, she is happy to communicate with you all again. The power of this tree had overwhelmed her senses and the many sprites in the room had added to the frenzy. Ivy speaks in tones and sounds unfamiliar to you and only Richalt has any understanding. He communicates her message to the group. 

"She says that the crystal that feeds this tree above is emitting too much energy and that there is an imbalance in the flow of energy from the earth to the crystals. She says it is an unnatural imbalance born of the bipedals, she means us, and that if it isn't corrected it will spread to all of Solea causing damage." Ivy tried to tell Richalt a name but it was incomplete and didn't translate. Richalt explained there is more to the message but Ivy is unclear as it has been masked. Something powerful is at play here.

What partial message did Ivy receive from the ether?  Add it to Thy Quests to move forward. 

Next: E1Q2 Quarry and Query