With your only exit cut off, you start searching the room. Tharah can't believe the sprites would act this way. "Why would they trick us?" She asks aloud. 

It's not long before Haden spots something and she beckons you over. A corner of the ground near the crystal is loose, and there's a small hole where it extends downward.

"Maybe we can scale down?" Haden points at the roots wrapped around the crystal's side. "We could use them as footholds." 

"You could use them as footholds," you say to Haden. "We could use them to hold onto as we fall to our deaths." 

"Oh come on, its not that bad, I can tie a line to your waist and we can do this." She said in support of the idea. Sometimes you really liked her positivity but it was all based on years of physical training that you never had as a mage. "There is a sprite that can help you levitate, now what's her name?" You ponder, but Tharah interupts, "No, summon no other sprites to this chamber it will alert the already upset Alta-Sprites." She says to you, disparagingly. 

"Fine, we will go with Haden's tiny piece of string idea then,... tie me up Haden!" You say in anxious resignation. 

One by one, you begin a slow descent into the farthest depths of the tower. The lower you go, the fainter the light from the etheria tree, and soon you're plunged into darkness.

Only the glow of the crystal you're climbing provides light to see by. You look closer, peering through its surface.

"It seems like there are sprites inside it," you say. "And some sort of temple?"

Tharah exclaims in surprise. "This must be their home! Maybe … Maybe the Alta Sprites feel threatened by us. They don't know why we're here."

She lingers a little longer to stare into the crystal, mesmerized. After a few minutes, she describes the crystal to you...."This gemstone is renowned for its exceptional clarity and brilliance. Its crystal structure is almost perfectly transparent, allowing light to pass through and refract in a dazzling display of spectral colors. The hardest known natural material, it can scratch virtually any other substance. Its surface reflects light with a distinct, almost metallic sheen, known for its high refractive index and dispersion, creating its famous sparkle. When expertly cut, its facets act like tiny mirrors, creating a kaleidoscope of light. This gemstone's purity and rarity make it highly prized in jewelry, symbolizing enduring strength and beauty. This gemstone, forged deep within the Earth's mantle under immense pressure and heat, is a marvel of natural creation. Born from carbon atoms arranged in a unique crystal lattice, it ascends to the surface through volcanic eruptions, encased in ancient rocks. Its journey from the fiery depths to the world above bestows upon it an unparalleled hardness and brilliance. Revered throughout history, this gem's clarity and sparkle have made it a symbol of eternal love and strength, capturing light in a way that no other gemstone can." she climbs all the way down, joining the rest of your group.

You realise from her perfect description which type of crystal she saw. Read it again and enter the name of it in the Thy Quests section below. 

Next: E2Q2 Light in the Darkness