Session 31: The Crystal Cavern

Having defeated the Gilded Devil and the Crystalline Elemental he summoned, the party investigates both the bodies and the strange rift at the edge of the cavern.   Therei finds the sapphire he was tasked to retrieve, and when attempting to identify it, is caught off-guard by the strangeness of the magic stored within.   Thia attempts to investigate the rift up-close, but is deeply disturbed by the magical aura it seems to be radiating, the intensity of it causing her bones to feel like they're trying to vibrate out of her body and leading to intense pain. Believing her to be over-exaggerating, Brottor investigates as well, and finds it to be similarly intense, though his frame of reference is a bit more rooted in his history under the mountains.   Deciding that they should try to close it, Melios reaches out and attempts to dispel the portal, only to find it is a bit too powerful for his magic. Even worse, as if in response to the attempt, the earth around the rift cracks even further apart as the portal grows larger, causing even more crystals to sprout around it, and the ones already littering the cavern to shudder and grow even larger.   While most of the group moves quickly away, Therei stays and takes in the situation, and Melios claims a couple of large slabs of emerald from the elemental before splitting the devil's gaudy jewelry with Ana.   Returning to town, they alert Captain Meknos to the situation, who sends out guards in case of emergency and takes the group to see the mayor once-more. Ever a cool head, she is thankful for the information, but assures them that she'll summon a wizard capable of dealing with the problem with the utmost urgency, and promises to deliver their reward later in the day once she's sorted out the details.   As everyone heads to relax, Melios confirms that Jelfi has skipped town, before heading to see Argus in an attempt to offload the emerald slabs before anyone notices the rest of it still in the cave. He makes a deal to sell them through the guild so that he can claim the payment from another branch when the time comes, and the group settles in for the night.   Or at least it would seem, as while everyone else sleeps, Therei waits and eventually falls into a waking dream. The Queen is pleased with his results, and offers him a gift: an amulet made from the sapphire he has claimed to help him accomplish his desires for change. Waking to find the amulet still in his hand, he inspects it to see it radiates incomprehensible magic, and putting it on causes a flood of energy and information so overwhelming he's unable to process it all at once. Coming to the next morning, he is struck by the realization that he can read the spell book he's held for so long, in a language he's never been able to master. And not only that, he remembers casting the spells within. What is this power, and how will he use it...?