You head south at first along a beautiful trail then east, following the current of particles into the Crystalline Forest. The journey takes you through the diverse and enchanting landscapes of the islands of Vay.

At first, you traverse the rolling grassy fields, where the lush green expanses stretch endlessly before you. Drue seems to be beaming with pride as he points out the beauty of his islands. Wildflowers in vibrant hues dot the fields, their sweet fragrance carried by the gentle breeze. Alster is so taken by the scenes and he realises that he has been so distracted by the quest that he hasn't collected any samples or looked closely at the flora. The serene environment is occasionally punctuated by the sight of griffons soaring above, their majestic wings casting shadows on the ground below. The fields, used by the inhabitants for agriculture and grazing, provide a peaceful start to your journey.

As you continue south, the landscape gradually changes. The grassy fields give way to a more rugged terrain, with patches of rocky outcrops and gentle hills. The path winds through these hills, offering stunning views of the surrounding islands floating serenely in the sky. Occasionally, you catch glimpses of Cloud Lake in the distance, its crystal-clear waters reflecting the sky and surrounding landscape.

Turning east, you follow the shimmering current of particles that guide you towards the Crystalline Forest. The transition from the grassy fields to the forest is marked by a noticeable change in the air, which feels cooler and tinged with a faint, ethereal glow. As you enter the forest, you are immediately struck by its otherworldly beauty.

The Crystalline Forest is a magical valley carved into the stone, filled with blue crystals that resemble thick trees. These crystal trees have trunks and branches that shimmer like polished and cut gems, their leaves sparkling in the sunlight. The forest floor is covered in a soft, mossy carpet that glows faintly, casting a gentle light in the dimmer areas of the forest. The crystals refract the sunlight, creating a dazzling display of colours that dance across the ground and surrounding trees.

The main area of the forest is an area dense with pulsing blue crystals, which block your path to another stone ruin.

"That looks just like the one I found under the waterfall," Haden says.

"This used to be flooded with water," Drue says. "But with the cloud condenser broken off from the island, the water must have drained … or perhaps the crystals absorbed it?"

"How are we supposed to get through?" Talik eyes the rows of hundreds of giant crystals blocking the way. There's no way you can reach the ruin with all these crystal shards in your way.

Alster peers around the forest. "There are sprites here. Maybe I can ask them for help?"

He closes his eyes, brow furrowed in concentration. The sprites are simple earth sprites, which drift about aimlessly, begin to gather toward him. They move together to the stone ruin, alighting upon the crystals one by one. Each time they do, the crystal recedes into the earth and darkens.

Enough crystals shift away that a pathway forms. Alster approaches the stone ruin, placing his hand upon it. "There is another rune message on this stone," he calls back, "Drue, we are going to need your expertise." The runes on its surface shine brighter as you approach them. 

Drue steps in beside Alster and runs his fingers over the runes, but no message jumps out to him this time. "It says something like, main overlord, or central sovereign, no, its.... master controller!" "Well that sounds important," You say excitedly, "Question is, should we be turning it on." Haden strangely lays down on the ground and looks up again. "The energy particles are moving directly to the top of the stone." You smile and say to Haden, "Your getting good at that!" 

"There is so much energy here, I am sure we can call a sprite to help us out," says Talik, "but which one?" 

"What about Novus?" he can read the stars and predict things, you add trying to help. 

"I was thinking about Bisite, he can look at many outcomes and tell us the best possible choice." Talik ponders aloud. While Talik and I discuss the two sprites and some other possibilities Alster started to wonder around looking at some of the lichen which seemed to pulse and wobble on the rocks with the energy around us. Haden meanwhile saw a moon symbol and a space below it that would hold a geometrically shaped crystal. She looked around and nearly all the crystals around had a similar shape and she kicked at one on the ground and it snapped at the base making a clinking sound. 

"Or we could just do this," She said with confidence as she slotted the crystal into the shape cut in the rock. The crystals around you pulse brightly with light and you have to lower your eyes for a moment then the entire forest seems to hum. With a gust of wind, the particles change direction and blow back toward the center island of Vay. Drue runs up to the top of a hill in the direction of the very obviuous flow, no need to lay down to determine it now. He calls out from the hill, "The ruin there on the middle island — it's glowing stronger, I can see it from here! 

If the sprites all alighted on all the crystals around the rune tablet and made them all disappear about how many sprites would you need? Approximately .......? Answer as an assignment in Thy Quests based on the text and image. 

Next: E7Q1 Truth of the Runes